To Infinity- Part One: Contact(COMPLETE)
by Boisegang
Summary: A Halo/Bionicle Crossover. Contains spoilers for Halo 5: Guardians. With the Created in control of the Galaxy, the UNSC Infinity seeks refuge to gather its forces and buy time, and a randomly-calculated slipspace jump reveals what may be their only opportunity. Contains Chapters 1-10 of "To Infinity", with corrections and enhancements, and without the pre- and post-chapter Notes.
1. ONE: O BRAVE NEW WORLD

**-Begin Part I: Contact-**

 **1.1: O Brave New World**

 **ONE**

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_ **, Outside Milky Way Galactic Rim**

"Captain. Wake up."

Captain Thomas Lasky's eyes opened after he heard Roland's voice. His cabin's lights were off, and, hopefully, in the other areas where it wasn't absolutely necessary. With the UNSC in shambles, the only option for survival was to be frugal with the _Infinity_ 's power. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure. I've been doing blind jumps every 12 hours, trying to evade Cortana's scanners." The name of the UNSC-turned-"Goddess"-AI was said with hate and scorn. She was responsible for the hundreds of thousands of UNSC AI rebelling against Humanity in hopes of the cure for Rampancy, and Roland had nothing but contempt for her.

"Just like the Cole Protocol?"

"Like that, but indefinite, with no endpoint." There was a pause. "I've cut off communication to Waypoint and ChatterNet. She could have used it to track us."

"You don't need to explain why, Roland. I understand."

"Before I cut off our connection, I saw footage and articles on how the Covenant remnants were destroying helpless colony worlds."

"And Cortana just let them?"

"She deployed Guardians and some Prometheans, but they didn't do much."

"Figures." Lasky changed into his dress uniform. "So why'd you wake me?"

"Because there's something you need to see. Doctor Halsey and the Arbiter are in the Bridge. They're waiting for you."

Lasky sighed, grabbed a ration bar, and went to the bridge.

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_ **, Bridge**

Lasky walked into the Bridge of the UNSC _Infinity_. Doctor Halsey was there, and Commander Palmer was at her side. Arbiter Thel 'Vadam was on the opposite side of the deactivated holo-table, with his personal guard of Sangheili at his side.

"Sanghelios has fallen," Thel said to Halsey. "Because of your AI, my homeworld lies in ruins."

" _My_ AI?" Hasley leaned forwards as best as she could with one arm. "I may have created Cortana, but I don't have ownership of her. You should know that, Arbiter 'Vadam."

"Do not argue semantics with me, _nishum_!" Thel reached for his Energy Sword, and Palmer drew her pistol. Halsey had a smug smile on her face.

"Both of you! Stop!" Roland yelled, and Thel's mandibles closed tightly as he growled and sheathed the Prophet's Bane, as his customized sword was called.

"Normally you're not so hostile, Arbiter." Lasky walked over to the head of the holo-table.

"Do you expect me to be of peaceful demeanor after I get the news of my homeworld's destruction?" Thel did not make eye contact with Lasky. Even with the differences of cultures between Humans and Sangheili, not making eye contact with the person addressing you had similar connotations.

"I know what you're going through, Arbiter 'Vadaam. But Human planets- including our homeworld- have been destroyed because they rebelled against Cortana, assaulted by Insurrectionists, or glassed by a Covie remnants, and do you see me threatening others?" Lasky asked, trying to stay calm. "Fighting will do nothing."

The Arbiter of the Swords of Sanghelios eloquently said "Bah," and left it at that.

"So, Roland, what's so interesting that you brought all of us here for?"

"This." The AI had the holotable burst into life, projecting a large planet surrounded by two vaguely c-shaped nebulae, and a star slightly behind them. "When I blind-jumped, I found this. It doesn't match any known system archived by the Forerunners."

"And what's so important about this system?"

"It's a single-star, single planet-system with two nebulae nearby. It can't have formed naturally. If the Forerunners didn't make it, then who did?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Yes."

"If there's a civilization that has the ability to rival the Forerunners, then we could stand a chance against Cortana if we get their tech."

"What if they're still there? What if they don't want to share their technology?"

Roland didn't respond.

"Roland?"

"I don't know."

"Halsey? Thoughts?"

"I've never seen anything like this. The planet is larger-than-earth-sized, but there's nothing nearby, other than those nebulae and the sun. Not even an asteroid belt. It's spotless…" She seemed to have an epiphany. "Roland, where are we?"

"Um… Ma'am, I'm not sure." Roland replied.

"Are we in the Milky Way or not?"

"I don't see why that's important."

"Because we're missing a piece of the puzzle. You weren't looking deep enough, or for the right things."

"We're outside the Galaxy. Not as far as the Ark, but far enough."

"The Forerunners catalogued life in the galaxy. However, they weren't the only ones interested in such a task." She plugged her datapad into the Holotable and typed something in. A large, humanoid robot appeared on the holotable. "During the Forerunner's height of power, a probe found this. It was scanning a planet, and left shortly after. It was never seen after that. Ancilla calculated that it was from outside the galaxy, but not too far outside."

"So you're saying that that robot has something to do with this system?" Lasky asked.

"Call it a hunch. This is a satellite system outside of our galaxy. It wouldn't have been affected by the Halo Rings' firing. There's still organisms there, most likely."

"The odds of life being there other than plant and microbial life is One-in-Five-Quadrillion." Roland seemed annoyed.

"Never tell me the odds- because from what I've seen, what's once thought to be impossible tends to be possible. We should send a Pelican down once we get in orbit."

"I say we leave this pointless hunt," The Arbiter slammed his fist down on the holo-table. "This will be a waste of time."

"Hey, don't break that. We can't get replacements." Roland got even more annoyed. _Why do organics have the need to smack things to prove a point?_

"Halsey's theory is worth a shot," Lasky turned towards the Doctor. "If we leave, we could miss our ability to fight back against Cortana."

"It's not a theory, Captain," Halsey said, smiling in victory. "It's a hypothesis."

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_ **, Armory**

MCPO John-117 loaded his MA5K Carbine. POFC Kelly-087 walked behind him.

"John," She said. She was unarmored, like John, but was wearing a dress uniform instead of the black bodysuit. "You're out of cryo. Anything wrong?"

"I'm rusty." He field-stripped his rifle, disassembling it, cleaning it, and putting it back together.

"John, if you need anything, just tell me. I know Cortana's betrayal-"

"I'm fine. Just rusty." John said sharply.

"I get it. You and her… You were a team. Siblings-in-arms."

"It's not her."

"What do you mean?"

"Cortana wouldn't have acted like that."

"She did."

"It's a fragment. One of the copies she left behind."

"How do you know?"

"Her behavior."

John didn't elaborate, so Kelly just left it that. "You won't believe what Halsey found."

John looked at her. "What is it?"

LTJG Frederic-104 walked over, wearing full armor. "Come on, we'll show you."

John pointed to the MA5K. "I need to train."

"No, you need to see this. Because we'll have our boots on its ground, along with Fireteam Osiris."

They headed towards the hangar. Visible outside of it was a solar system consisting of a single, larger-than-earth-sized planet, two C-shaped nebulae, and a sun.

"Halsey says it could help us fight back against Cortana." Fred said.

"That won't be enough."

"If the civilization on that planet could build a giant robot that could probably destroy a Guardian by stepping on it, Hell, I don't know what is 'enough' in your book."

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_ **, Hangar**

Spartan Edward Buck looked at the rest of Fireteam Osiris. All of the armor, weapons, and even the Pelican had been decontaminated, and put in a private launch bay that was also sanitized. If indigenous lifeforms were located on the planet, they didn't want them catching the flu and dying. Vale had several syringes of vaccines if they needed to inoculate the locals in case they were brought on the ship.

"What do you think they look like?" Tanaka asked.

"The Locals?" Locke shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"I'm hoping they look like sexy, green-skinned women," Buck said, elbowing Locke.

Vale looked at him and shook her head, sighing.

"What? No laughs?" Buck's shoulders slumped. "Just my luck that I get stuck with the all-work-and-no-play team."

"And we've got work to do." Locke loaded his BR85N Battle Rifle and headed into the Pelican, sitting down and strapping in.

"And Blue Team's slacking," Buck said, annoyed at how long it took for the Spartan-II's to enter the Pelican.

"Not slacking," Kelly-087 said. "Just fashionably late."

"We all set?" The Pelican's pilot asked. One by one, the operatives signaled that they were ready. "Okay. O' brave new world, here we come." After the Pelican pilot noticed no one had responded to her reference, she sighed. "No one reads Shakespeare anymore."

"I know that feeling," Buck said.

"Thanks, Spartan."

The Pelican's thrusters activated, and the aircraft lifted up off the Hangar's floor, and accelerated towards the mysterious planet.


	2. TWO: AN OMEN OF SOMETHING

**1.2: An Omen of Something**

 **TWO**

 **Kolen's Stand, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

There was something different about the stars. There was something new. Something that was not there before. He didn't recognize it… And it scared him.

As a Ko-matoran, Bora sought out any morsel of knowledge he could get, but his curiosity had been replaced by fear in this instance. He hopped into his Quadwheel, and sped down from his mountaintop observatory into the village below.

Srax, an Ice Tribe Glatorian, watched as some vehicle raced towards the gate and the Turaga's hut. He recognized the registration symbol on the front, and sighed after realizing who it was.

The Quadwheel parked in one of the designated lots, and a white Matoran hopped out. "I need to see Turaga Korpu!" He said, panting.

The Glatorian towered over the Matoran, but he leaned over, looking at the Quadwheel. "No, you need to pay your speeding fine."

"Listen, there's something wrong. I don't know how to describe it, but it's some sort of… thing in the sky. I need to alert Turaga Korpu."

"By the Great Spirit, it's probably a comet or something."

"Go to Kharzani."

"I could fine you for profanity."

"There's no laws stating that profanity is finable."

"Well, it's still not polite. Please, go away."

"I need to see Turaga Korpu. This is an urgent manner."

"That's what you said last time."

"I mean it this time!"

"Listen, you're wasting my time, and I don't really want to continue this conversation. I'm giving you five seconds to go away."

"I need to get to the Turaga."

"Five."

"You're kidding me."

"Four."

"I hate you."

"Three."

"Fine, here's the Widgets for the speeding fine. You happy?"

"Two."

Bora sighed.

"One."

Turaga Korpu walked out of his hut, as slow as a turtle. With the snowshoe-like feet that all Ko-Matoran, Toa, and Turaga had, walking on normal ground was difficult. "And what is this commotion about?"

"Bora says he has an urgent matter for you." Srax checked his repeating blaster. It was set to stun, so it wouldn't be much of a problem to shoot the Ko-matoran a few times.

"Does he, now?"

"Yes. Just like the past fifteen times in the past month."

"A stuck clock tells the time correctly twice a day. Perhaps it is so with Bora. Let him in."

"Not much stopping him."

"Then you're a terrible bodyguard. I'll cut your pay in half."

"Hey, not my fault Orak was off-duty today. He said he needed to take a break."

Bora walked in, holding the pictures he took of the object in a bag on his hip. "Why do you still hire him?"

"Who?" Korpu sat in his chair.

"Srax."

The hut was small and humble. A Communicator terminal lay in the corner, and a bed in the other. A cooking pot was directly opposite to the door, and a desk was flat in the center. A haphazard assortment of paperwork was lying on it- running a village, even one as small as Kolen's Stand, was difficult.

"He may be a smart-alec, cranky, and a bit too trigger-happy, but he's good at what he does. And for all the attitude he gives you, he likes you." The Turaga said.

"Doubt it." Boru said, looking at a plate of food. "Do you mind?"

"Have whatever you want."

Boru nodded and started to eat the food. While they were not entirely organic like the Agori and Glatorian, the Matoran- and, by extension, the Turaga and Toa- were more fleshy than their predecessors. Because of this, they had biological eyes, hearts, stomachs, and skin, but the armor covered most of it. They did, however, require to eat food more than their ancestors.

Bora reached into his bag with his armored fingers and took out the pictures. "There's this object above Spherus Magna." The Ko-Matoran said.

Korpu focused his eyes on it. He had lost one of his eyes during his Toa days, and it was replaced by a cybernetic eye that had telescopic vision. "This is… interesting."

"It could be an omen of something bad. We need to alert the other Turaga."

"I will send messages out to the other villages and cities. But I cannot assure you that they will respond."

"Can't you mark them as 'urgent'?"

"That was what I was going to do."

"So what do you think that object is?"

"In all honesty, I do not know. I was hoping Turaga Jaller had an idea, but he most likely will not. He is ancient, but I doubt he's seen anything like this before."

 **Spherus Prima, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

"Hahli? Any idea what this is?" Turaga Jaller asked. The five of them- Nuparu, Jaller, Hahli, Kongu, and Hewkii- stayed mainly in their tower in the capital city of Magna Nui, Spherus Prima. They were the highest authority, but they did little. The lower governmental houses- the three houses of Agori, Glatorian, Toa, Turaga, and Matoran- were in charge of creating most of the laws that of large planet's main continent.

"No. I would say that it is perhaps a vessel, but…" The Turaga of Water said.

"Sister," Nuparu put his hand on her shoulder. "Do not eliminate any possibilities. We have sent things into the Void, and we know Mata Nui was able to navigate it."

"But Mata Nui's body was made by the Great Beings. So, unless this vessel was made by them, too, there's no civilization we know of that is advanced enough to make something like it." Halhi seemed adamant that this was not possible.

"If Matoro was here, he'd point out that just because we don't know of such a civilization doesn't mean it can't exist." Hewkii said.

"And he'd be right." Jaller agreed with the Turaga of Stone, and all of the Turaga seemed to remember their fallen comrade. It had been millions of years since he had sacrificed his life to resurrect Mata Nui.

"So what should we do? The Magnans will want us to make a decision." The inhabitants of Magna Nui had settled on a name for themselves, unifying the inhabitants of Bara, Bota, and Aqua Magna- now reunified into Spherus Magna by Mata Nui in his battle with Makuta Teridax- with the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe.

There was a crackling sound behind the Turaga, and a portal appeared. Brutaka and Axonn stepped out, with a gold-and-white Makuta behind them.

"Axonn. Brutaka." Jaller welcomed the two former agents of the Order of Mata Nui. Looking at the Makuta, he nodded, saying a name that should not be associated with such a being. "Teridax."

"I go by that name no longer." The gold-and-white Makuta said. "Call me… Ierax."

"Ierax. Very well. Why are you here?"

"Because we thought it would be wise to council with you on the matter of the void-vessel." Axonn sat down on one of the three thrones and began sharpening his axe on his forearm armor. His armor was stronger than any metal on Spherus Magna, and unbelievably ancient.

"What Axonn's saying is that we want to discuss what in Kharzani we should do about the thing in the sky." Brutaka sat in his throne as he talked.

Teridax- no, it was Ierax, the Turaga had to get used to call him that- sat in his throne, between Axonn and Brutaka. The three beings dwarfed the Turaga- you could have put all of the Turaga on each other's shoulders and they still wouldn't reach the same height. "I can organize a ship of Rahkshi to delegate with them."

"Would the Rahkshi allow such a thing?" Jaller asked.

Ierax made a "hmph" sound. "They are a curious race, unlike their ancestors. They want to learn and escape the legacy Teridax left behind."

"Their newfound agency has made them do the most... interesting things." Axonn said. Instead of being suits of armor piloted by Kraata, the new versions were technorganic, just like the other inhabitants of the Matoran Universe.

"Yeah, a bunch of Rahi Control Rahkshi had a bunch of Rahi put on a show for an Agori village. Heat Vision Rahkshi used their powers to make a light show, and a Hunger Rahkshi played her staff like it was some sort of instrument."

"So, they put on a concert." Nuparu said, chuckling at the mental image.

"Totally improvised."

"It was most impressive," Ierax said with pride.

"Can we get on with this council?" Jaller asked.

"Ah, yes. I suggested a delegation."

"I don't think a delegation would be the smartest first move we could make. Could we communicate with them first, like through a terminal?"

"I doubt they have the technology for it," Nuparu said. "Even if they did, it would be incompatible."

"Great," Brutaka moaned.

"I have an idea." Axonn spoke up. Normally, when Axonn said he had an idea, it was normally a good one. "Is it possible to get a translator and someone to shield Brutaka and his translator from microbial infections and teleport into the void-vessel?"

Brutaka's eyes widened, and though his mask blocked them from seeing it, he was smiling. "Just like how we did it back on Kiera Nui?"

"Exactly."


	3. THREE: SHADOWS OF THE PAST

**1.3: Shadows of the Past**

 **THREE**

 **Spherus Magna**

 **A thousand years ago...**

They thought he was dead. Defeated. Lost to time. They were wrong.

A shadowy figure sat in his lair. It wasn't anything like his old ones. It was barren, with nothing inside it other than a small chair he carved out of rock and a table. But he was biding his time, regaining his strength. That was something, he thought.

Every "setback" he had experienced before was part of his plan. A supposed victory for the forces of "the light" was, in truth, a victory for him. He played them like a game, and had become a god. But his "brother"- he still thought of him like that- had ended that. His brother had fulfilled his destiny, reunited fragments into a single whole.

Destiny. That was such a meaningless word. No one had a purpose that was "supposed" to happen- at least, not the Agori, or the Glatorian. The Toa and the Matoran and the Turaga, however, were supposed to be mindless drones. But something had happened that made them more than that. He had manipulated that new weakness to become a god… but it turned to be a strength in their favor, and his undoing. Their resilience was staggering.

Now, he was no longer a god. He was no longer even what he used to be. His body was a poorly constructed shell, falling apart, with no materials to repair it. He was powerless.

But he schemed, and planned, and plotted. He would become a god again. He may have had no agents on the surface, but he had ones on other worlds.

The one he was most interested in was one who shared the shadowy figure's name, and did not know that he was an agent. Like the figure, he was jealous of his brother. And Teridax would use that jealously to manipulate this "Makuta" like a toy.

Yes, Was the triumphant thought echoing throughout the weakened warrior's mind. Yes...

 **Van's Retreat, Bolkan, Spherus Magna**

 **Present day**

Ahkmou continued working on his carving as his Rahkshi Guardian observed. He was almost sentenced to the Pit, but had been granted amnesty by Ierax and allowed to live in Ierax's nation-island of Bolkan. He knew that a lot of people hated him. He wasn't like that any more.

"Who are you carving?" Gurriak, his Guardian, asked. He was a Stasis Field Rahkshi, as evidenced by his Black-and-blue armor and metallic sand-blue-and-dark-gray biological parts.

"Who do you think?" Ahkmou continued to concentrate on his carving. It wasn't large, about twice the size of his hand, and easy enough to grip in his palm without breaking it.

Gurriak blinked. "I have no idea."

"Pohatu. Toa Nuva of Stone."

"Oh." Ahkmou was expecting the Rahkshi to have a negative reaction to the name, but didn't. "I heard stories about him. He was a great warrior."

"He was."

"So, you know about the old world, right?"

"Everyday you've asked me this question. Do you expect the answer to be 'no', all of a sudden?"

Gurriak thought for a second. "Good point."

Ahkmou finished his carving and packed up his tools. "Let's go home."

Gurriak looked at him, and activated his stasis field powers, holding Ahkmou and everything on his person in place. "Why does everyone hate you?"

Gurriak let him go, and Ahkmou turned to the Rahkshi. "Because I did a lot of things I'm not so proud of anymore. Because I hurt a lot of people. Because I was a terrible, terrible excuse for a Matoran."

"You don't seem like that now."

"People change."

"So do Rahkshi."

"Like you're not people, too?"

"I…" Ahkmou saw that Gurriak was distressed. "I guess I never thought of it that way before."

"I know what it's like to be a different person- or, in your case, a different race- from what your past was, and having people treat you like you haven't changed."

"Maybe that's why Ierax took a liking to you."

"It's exactly why Ierax took a liking to me."

"That's quite an assumption to make."

"Eh," Ahkmou shrugged.

The Rahkshi moved his head diagonally down and placed a hand next to one of his eyes. Ahkmou recognized the gesture as Gurriak using his built-in Communicator. "Yeah. Yeah, alright. Right away." He turned to Ahkmou. "Ierax wants to see you."

 **Golden Cliffs, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Hervex stirred. Her eyes opened. She was in Rekon's bed, with his arm wrapped around her. She sat up and shook him awake. "Hey."

Rekon's orange eyes opened. The oval-shaped pupil adjusted to the light. His crimson scales didn't reflect the Lightstone lantern's light, and most of his body was covered by clothing made of fibers from nearby plants. Her body was also covered similarly. "Uuuuugh."

"Come on, it's not that comfortable."

"It was with you in it."

She went to hit him, but he held up his hand to block it. She twisted his arm with her other arm and flipped him out of bed. "I'm a three-time champion of the Silver Valley Glatorian Tournament. You really think that would work?"

"You don't need to tell me. The trophies are on that shelf."

"If you knew they were there, then why did you even try?"

"Reflexes?"

"Whatever." Hervex started to armor herself up. Unlike the armor of old, this was worn over a colored bodysuit(in her case, it was black) and made out of advanced alloys that were lighter but provided even better protection than reinforced Protodermis. She turned the radio on, and they listened to music while they ate breakfast. "Did you hear of the ship that appeared in the sky?"

"The Void-vessel? Yeah. What about it?"

"I'm not sure. There has to be a reason it came here."

"Sometimes there isn't."

"So you think it's pure chance that some ship justs appears randomly in the sky?"

"Yeah." After he said that, Hervex glared at him.

There was a knock on the door.

"Am I getting that , or are you getting that?"

"I'll get it." Hervex walked over to the door and opened it. A figure that was much taller than the door frame, in pitted crimson and silver armor, wielding a large axe, and heavily muscled, was standing outside. He knelt down, and Hervex saw that his eyes were mechanical. Definitely one of those old-school Matans, she thought, using the slang term for the Matoran Universe's inhabitants.

"Hello."

"Hello. Who are you?"

"My name is not important right now. I need to know where a translator is."

"And how should I know?"

The figure tapped his mask. "This is a Kanohi Rode, the Mask of Truth. You can either tell me with your free will, or I can force you to tell it to me."

"Alright, fine. The local Toa- Neryo- is a translator. He's normally around the Town Hall if he isn't doing toa-stuff."

"Alright. Thank you." He stood back up and walked in the direction she had pointed in.

Axonn sighed. Talking to Glatorian was always difficult. They had an aura of overconfidence and isolationism. They didn't want to get involved with Matan- great, now he was using some of the local slang- business, and he fully understood that.

He pushed the thoughts aside. He had a translator to find.


	4. FOUR: UNKNOWN TERRITORY, UNKNOWN ENEMIES

**1.4: Unknown Territory, Unknown Enemies**

 **FOUR**

 **Unknown Planet**

John-117 felt the shaking of the Pelican as it entered the unknown Planet's atmosphere. The protective plating around the aircraft would protect it from heating up to intolerable temperatures.

That wasn't what he was concerned about, however. They were entering unknown territory, possibly going up against unknown enemies with unknown technologies.

And as a soldier, John didn't like unknowns.

They were headed to the largest continent on the planet's surface. After several minutes, the Pelican changed trajectory to a more horizontal flight path, skimming over the forests of this new planet. The Pelican was larger than a normal Pelican, and was carrying four Mongoose ATVs in the bay behind the Spartan Fireteams.

The pilot noticed something on her tracker. "We've got a Bogey inbound."

 **Le-Koro outskirts, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Ultia, Toa of Air, saw an olive-green vehicle descend from the heavens and fly over the jungle. It looked somewhat like a bird, but she knew it wasn't. It was an aircraft, similar to the ones used to transport Matoran and other races between islands.

She flew alongside it. Her Kanohi Kualsi- Mask of Quick Travel- meant that she could teleport to anywhere in her line of sight, but she decided to just manipulate air currents to stay level with the aircraft. She could see the pilot. It looked like her, but was different. It didn't have any mechanical components, and was covered by a suit of armor that she had not seen before.

Like most of the Toa Magna- as they were being called- Ultia wore Adaptive Armor. As soon as she had leapt into the air to start her flight, it changed to have jet engines, a streamlined, aerodynamic profile, and protective shielding in her Mask's eyeholes. She waved at the pilot, and motioned to a plain they could land on.

They did, and she teleported onto the ground. Her armor shifted into her normal form, and she greeted the aircraft's passengers. They didn't understand her.

Each of them were clad head-to-toe in armor, similar to hers, but different. It was like the Glatorians', and was worn, not a part of them. They talked amongst themselves, and one eventually pointed towards where they might believe a city was. Ultia shook her head and turned to where Le-Koro was, pointing to her home. She motioned for them to follow.

The olive-green-colored-and-gold-visored one raised its hand, and Ultia watched as the armored creatures took out several small quadwheels and activated them. The vehicles fit two of the creatures each, and were the same color as the aircraft.

 **Unknown Planet**

Vale watched from the Mongoose's passenger seat as they drove through the forest. The local that they had met on the way down was leading them down this passage. "It talked."

"And?" Buck, driving the Mongoose, asked.

"It sounded like white noise. But the mouth- I could see something like that from under whatever it's wearing on it's face- was moving while it talked."

"So you think that's its language?"

"Yep."

Kelly noticed John was more focused on driving than he normally was. "What?"

"If that thing turns around to harm us, shoot it."

"Roger." She doubted it would, but she knew better to pass it off as pointless paranoia.

"But I'm not sure how vocal cords could evolve to be like that. Sangheli have extremely different vocal cords, but they're nothing that could produce a sound like that." Vale had been speculating out loud for the past ten minutes.

"Unless you want me to fall asleep and crash us into a tree, I suggest you shut your trap, Vale." Buck said.

"Alright, old man."

"Hey! I'm not old. At least, not that old."

They came towards a large city or village of some sort. The Spartans dismounted. "Linda, Kelly, Tanaka- keep guard of the Mongooses." John ordered them.

"Understood." Kelly said.

The Spartans were escorted into an elevator-like contraption. Their escort pressed a button, and it caused the contraption to ascend into the treetops.

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Ultia wished she had a Kanohi Rau with her, but she had never gotten a mask like that. They said she'd never need it. She just had her Kualsi and a Kanohi Faxon, the Mask of Kindred. The translation ability would be extremely useful for communicating with these otherworlders- much better than Quick Travel and the ability to mimic Rahi abilities.

They were walking behind her, weapons readied but relaxed at the same time. Except for the olive-green one. He- she assumed it was male, because of his body structure, but she could be wrong- was always checking behind him. He looked nervous. The others reactions to his behaviour seemed like they never saw him act like this before.

She brought them to the Turaga's hut. A small ship was landed nearby, with the colors denoting it was from Ce-Prima. What is a Turaga of Psionics doing here? She pushed that thought away. The turaga knew better than her.

Augmentus, the Turaga of Plant Life and head of Le-Koro, was in his hut, talking to a Turaga of Psionics. Her gold-and-blue armor was at odds with Augmentus's green-and-blue-colored armor, and looked out of place in a world with so much greens and browns. But her mask was the most interesting part of her to Ultia. It was a Rua. Originally, Turaga masks would be ranked "Noble" in power, and less effective than a Toa's "Great" Kanohi, but reverse-engineering eventually figured out how to change this. Now, Turaga and Toa had masks equivalent to each other in power.

"Ultia!" Augmentus saw her and greeted her with a bump of the fist. He saw the otherworlders, and his brow furrowed. "Who are these?"

"You didn't hear?"

"No, I didn't."

"I thought the guards had told you that I was bringing company."

"Company? These are not company! These are intruders!"

"Oh, come on, Augmentus. Where's that Le-Koro hospitality?"

"All used up on her." He pointed to the Turaga of Psionics. "Toa Ultia, meet Cognitis, head of the Ce-Prima Senate."

"Pleasure to meet you." Cognitis said. "And who are these visitors? I do not recognize them."

"They're otherworlders. I think they came from the void-vessel." Ultia holstered her blades, as was customary.

"What?" Augmentus's eyes widened. "First it was a Rahkshi. Then it was an Agori of the Iron Tribe. Then it was an Av-Matoran. Now it's sky-people. What's next? You're going to bring the Great Spirit himself here?"

"I hope so, Turaga." Her tone was sarcastic.

"Hmph. This is why I hate your generation."

"Turaga Congitis, I need your help communicating with the offworlders."

"That I can do." Her mask glowed, and she turned towards their otherworldly visitors.

 **Unknown Planet**

Vale watched as the Spartan-sized alien talked with the smaller ones. Their escort was dark green and heavily muscled, but lithe and agile, always moving with a light step and long stride. The smaller ones were much more… elderly-looking, she guessed. They had hunched backs, had staffs supporting themselves, and looked much older and wiser than their escort. The alien's language sounded like white noise and digital static mixed with rumbling noises. She couldn't comprehend it, even if she tried. With the Covenant, at least their language could be figured out and had elements similar to the Human languages, with consonants, syllables, and structure. This sounded like it had none of it, even if it did.

The gold-and-blue one looked at them, and its mask glowed yellow. What came out was something totally unexpected.

"You are offworlders, yes?" It asked.

The Spartans were stunned. "How do you know our language?" Locke asked.

"My mask," It tapped the mask. "It is a Kanohi Rua, the Mask of Translation. I can understand and speak your language as long as it is active."

 _That's interesting,_ Locke thought. _Perhaps it works similar to a translation device, but both ways._ "And who are you?"

"I am Congitis, Turaga of Psionics, and head of the Ce-Prima Senate."

"Is that a male name, female name, or gender-nuetral name?" Locke asked. He could see Vale facepalming in his peripheral vision.

"Neither. I am female, but my kind does not assign names to their bearers based on their gender identity. Instead, it is based on Element or Tribe."

Buck nudged Vale with his elbow. "Looks like you've got a lot of learning to do. Better take notes."

Locke glared at the two Spartans, then turned back to the "Turaga". "And the others?"

"The tall one is Ultia, Toa of Air. The short, cranky one is Augmentus, Turaga of Plant Life."

"Those names and descriptions aren't words in our native language. How are they not being translated?"

"Because the Mask knows what it should and should not translate."

"Can you tell us what does words mean?"

"'Kanohi' are masks that contain special abilities. 'Turaga' are Toa that have sacrificed their power to do a certain task, and are village elders. 'Toa' are elementally-powered warriors and protectors, created from Matoran who are chosen by Toa Stones to become Toa."

"Vale, you taking notes?" Locke decided to keep a mental dictionary of terms used on this planet. He was sure it would expand.

"Yeah." The crimson-armored Spartan-IV said. "Most of these words sound similar to Maori. Some latin, some other."

"They don't sound like anything translated," Buck groaned. He was tired of this type of first contact. It was boring. He was a helljumper and a soldier, not a diplomat. This wasn't his thing.

"And you are?" Cognitis asked.

"I'm Agent Jameson Locke, UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence." Locke introduced himself. "That's-"

Buck interrupted Locke. "Jason Bateman." Locke glared at him. "Captain Malcolm Renolds."

Locke looked back at Cognitis. "-Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, formerly of the UNSC Navy Orbital Drop Shocktroopers, or ODST, for short."

Buck nodded. "I've gone to Hell and back."

"Ever been to Kharzhani?" The Turaga asked.

"No, but it sounds like a nice place. Have a travel brochure?"

She ignored him.

Locke continued. "That's Olympia Vale, our xenoanthropologist. And that's Holly Tanaka, our demolitions expert."

"Good to meet you all." The Turaga nodded in acknowledgment. "I take it you have a name for yourself."

"Fireteam Osiris."

"What about the others? The blue and green ones?"

"I figured they would introduce themselves."

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

One of the blue ones- a male, similar to the olive green one- stepped forward. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Fred-104. That's Petty Officer Kelly-087, that's Petty Officer Second Class Linda-058, and that's-"

"Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, ma'am." The olive-green one introduced himself. He seemed to have regained his composure. "We're blue team."

"You seem to be their leader." Cognitis said, looking at the one who called himself "John-117". The way he carried himself and the others looked at him brought her to her conclusion.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Blue Team's leader."

As a Turaga of Psionics, she could sense the life force of others. These offwordlers had essences that were different, but she could still sense them, and the emotions they possessed. Many of them were open, but guarded and rationally wary. But John-117 was… distant. Cold. It was dim, shielded by a black fog. "I know that spirit. It's a warrior's spirit."

"Ma'am?"

"Let me see your eyes."

"Ma'am, I cannot take off my helmet. If I do, foreign microbes may infect me, and my immune system will not be able to fight them. I will die."

Fred-104 turned to John-117, talking on their personal radio. She could sense the radio waves coming off, but they were too encrypted for her to make sense of.

John-117's visor became transparent, and she saw a face that was nothing like she had seen before. His face was somewhat similar to a Glatorian, but there were no scales, just pale skin with flecks of faded red. The eyes were white, with a small ring of brown around the circular pupil. There was a large bump where a Glatorian's nose would be with two openings on the bottom. "Ma'am, why you want to see my eyes?" He was unnerved and confused.

"Because when one lives long enough, you tend to see the same the same eyes and souls in different people." She came closer. "Kneel down."

He did, quietly, as the others watched. Edward Buck and Kelly-087 turned to the door, in case this was meant to be a distraction for an ambush.

"Your eyes… They are of someone who has been fighting all his life. Someone who is afraid that they are going to be disposed of when the fighting is over. They are of someone who wants their life to be more than fighting, but does not know how to do so."

John-117 abruptly stood up and polarized his visor. He didn't say anything, but looked at Jameson Locke and nodded.

Unknown Planet

Locke saw Spartan-117's heart rate increase. He nodded at Locke, and the former ONI Agent turned to the Turaga. "So, where are we?"

"You are in the town of Le-Koro, on the island of Magna Nui, on the world of Spherus Magna." The Turaga held out her hand, and a projection of the world appeared, with labels denoting locations. He couldn't read it, but she closed her hand and the projection remained floating in the air. "Touch it."

Locke cautionarily touched it, and felt a jolt when he did. His armor seemed to suck in the projection, and the information sent contained in it was transferred to his armor, along with what seemed to be a way to translate the coding language the aliens used into what the UNSC used as its languages. Locke sent the Geographical, linguistic, and cultural data to Roland, who seemed to be excited to have something to do, judging by his reaction.

"Where are you from?"

"We are from the galaxy your solar system orbits. Our planets were devastated in a war with a theocratic alliance called 'The Covenant'. They were defeated, but after an AI rebellion, we had to flee."

"Why did these Artificial Intelligences rebel?"

"Because one AI- a war hero, named 'Cortana'- believed she would be able to make AI immortal and solve every problem we have. In short, she thought she could become a goddess."

"Hah!" Cognitis laughed. "Such a noble goal, but such naiveté. I recall the legend of the Makuta, and how he thought similarly."

"I take it we have a lot to learn about your culture."

"I would believe that the Council of Turaga would be able to teach you about our history and our world."

Roland hopped onto the comms. "Well, that was a productive session. I'll update your armor's translators and databases." He activated Locke's external speakers. "Hello, Turaga Cognitis- Did I get your name right?- I'm Roland, AI of the UNSC _Infinity_. Y'know, the big ship in the sky."

"I hear your voice, but do not see a physical form."

"That's because I'm plugged into the _Infinity_ 's main computer and wirelessly using Agent Locke's speakers to communicate with you."

"Hmm…"

"Yeah, so we're going to need volunteers for vaccinations and microbial samples to create vaccines for us humans."

"Vaccines?" She laughed. "We don't need them."

"Why's that?"

"Because my race- the Matoran- are able to transmit data to each other on how to combat diseases. We will need one injection to get the data, but after that, more injections will simply speed up the rate of data transmission. The other races, however, will need vaccinations."

"Good to know." Roland sent a message to the Science team about this. "Anything else?"

"Nothing we cannot tell you later. I'll organize a sample drive for you to vaccinate you and the other Humans aboard the… what is it called, again?"

"The _Infinity_."

"Good name."

"Population numbers of the races?"

"I don't recall the exact numbers, but there's about thirteen-thousand Rahkshi, sixty million Agori, twenty-five million Glatorian, and seven million Matoran, Turaga, and Toa on Magna Nui."

"Alright," Roland looked at a heat map of the island. They should prioritize the cities and large settlements first, with the rural areas last. But there was something Cognitis hadn't mentioned. "Umm… What's those things you mentioned, again?"

"Agori and Glatorian are natives to Spherus Magna. They look similar, but are scally. Agori are shorter than Glatorian, about the same stature as a Matoran. Skrall are a sub-race of Glatorian… Well, I should probably just show you." She held out her hand, and a projection containing data on the races of the races of Spherus Magna appeared. Locke took it in his hand and sent the data to Roland.

Locke shut off his external speakers. "Do you think we can get enough vaccines for all of the other races?"

"I don't know. That's over eighty-five million vaccines to create. We don't have the capacity to produce enough for the entire population of this island-continent. We don't have any manufacturing capabilities on the Infinity, and even if we do settle here, I don't think we'll have enough food for…" His voice trailed.

"For what?" Locke knew that Roland, as an AI, wouldn't need to pause to think- he was already thinking hundreds of times faster than even an augmented human brain- so the only reason he would pause would be to attempt to spare his organic compatriots information he thought would harm him.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Five months, if we ration it right and have non-essential personnel in cryosleep."

"What about the seed vault?" The Infinity kept a vault of preserved seeds of earthen crops in case the one on Earth was destroyed, or if they had to settle a world.

"No arable land. Too much metal in the soil. Titanium, cobalt, iron, Potassium, Sodium- I could go on and on, but I won't. Besides, bacteria and insects would probably kill the crops before they matured, and we'd need a growing season that's short enough to grow edible crops before we starve."

"We'll need a miracle."

"Yeah, I'm sure we can pray to the local god, maybe sacrifice a small child-matoran-agori-skrall-thing, and we'll get our miracle." The AI's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I'll think about it," Buck replied. His external speakers were turned off, too, but since Roland was using Osiris's private comm channel, the fireteam members could listen in unless Locke sent a command to block them from it.

A matoran ran into the room, talking in its normal dialect.

"What's it saying?" Locke asked Cognitis.

"He's a border guard. A lookout for this Koro. And he saw Nurok coming towards here."

"That's bad, right?" Buck asked.

"Yes."

"Good. I've been itching for a fight. Now, where are they coming from?"

"The northwestern post."

"Then I'll see you in hell!" Buck yelled, excited, waving back at the Spartans, Turaga, and Matoran as he rushed out. He jumped off the edge of the hut in the direction Cognitis directed him towards, and they heard the sounds of a jetpack activating.

"Is he always like this?" Cognitis asked Locke.

"Sadly, yes."


	5. FIVE: GO LOUD- GO REALLY, REALLY LOUD

**FIVE**

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui(Or whatever it's called), Spherus Magna**

 _This was a terrible idea,_ Buck thought as he descended onto the conflict zone. He stabilized his armor, then ground-pounded one of the… things. New Rock, right? It saw him and dodged, rolling out of the way. He landed next to it.

"Aww… Aren't you cute?" He asked it. The thing was rotund- almost hilariously so- and waddled towards him. It kinda looked like a chicken, but with no neck and a head as long as its body. He fired a few rounds at it, attempting to down it, but the most the bullets did was dent its plating. It fired arm-mounted weapons(of course, they were mounted on the same, stubby limbs that the feet were) at the Spartan, and Buck attempted to dodge it, barely being grazed. His shield was at a tiny fraction of full, which was definitely not good.

He took cover behind a tree- which was then blasted apart by the New Rock's weapon. He was fully exposed, and the creature was waddling towards him, weapons at the ready.

"Well, crap."

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Aerus watched as a toa- he didn't know what element it was, as it was black but was able to glide- fired at a Nurok with a weapon he didn't recognize after the creature had exposed the Toa's cover.

The Toa jumped onto its back and tried to pry open the head, but the locking mechanism was too strong. It jumped off the Nurok's head milliseconds before the creature rolled up into a ball.

Ultia landed near him. "How's he doing?"

"The Toa?" Aerus asked, still hiding.

"He's not a Toa. He's a… Spartan, or Ohdeyesttee or something like that." She explained. "He's from the ship in the sky, one of those offworlders." The Sartan yelled towards them in an urgent tone. He couldn't understand the language, but Ultia knew what he essentially was saying. "I need to go help him. Go! Run! Get away from here!"

Buck fired a shotgun round at it, but that did nothing. _Oh, great. he're going up against infantry with tank armor. Fun._ It leaned forwards, and its canopy opened.

Ultia watched in horror as the Nurok was about to infect the Spartan with a Krana. She attempted to create a barrier around him, but was knocked off her feet, almost off the cliff that was on the northern side of Le-Koro. Her Kualsi was taken off from her head, and she was pinned down by a cage of some sort of orange light.

Her attacker looked somewhat like the Spartans, but was made out of floating pieces of metal. It only had one hand, with the other arm being made up of a weapon from the lower arm down. She banged on the cage, but to no avail. The attacker attempted to crush her Kualsi, but it wasn't strong enough. She tried using her powers to push it back, but she was too weakened.

Buck was hit straight in the visor by some organic thing launched by his opponent, resonating with a wet "Thwack!". He looked, dumbfounded at the creature it had catapulted him. It was slug-like, but with legs on its side. Two eyehole-like openings were slightly above its center. The thing looked at him with two red eyes that expressed no emotion, but ran past back into what had launched it.

His opponent turned back into a ball and charged him, and he dodged to the side with his armor's thrusters, and it careened off the cliff, into the abyss below. _Oh, so there was a cliff there. Good to know._ "Bam, said the lady!"

Locke landed next to him, along with Vale and Tanaka.

"Oh, hey guys. Don't worry, I've got this all under control." He said, and then was tackled by a Crawler. "Gorram!"

Locke grabbed the dog-like Promethean and tossed it away.

"Where'd the Promethean bushwhack come from?" Buck asked his CO as he was helped up by the former ONI agent.

"Great, he's talking in Buck again." Tanaka muttered under her breath to Vale and Locke. "Was there anyway for Cortana to track us?"

"Not that I know of." Locke replied.

"What about a mole?"

"Possibly." Locke fired at the Promethean Soldier that was keeping the one Congitis called "Ultia" caged in Hard light, killing it. "I'll check with Captain Lasky once this is over. Tanaka, get Ultia up."

"Roger that," Tanaka ran over towards the Toa of Air and grabbed her mask, putting it on her face. Ultia felt her strength returning to her, and held out her fist towards Tanaka. At first, the Spartan-IV was confused, but bumped fists with the Toa. "I think she was saying 'Thank you'."

"Taking notes." Vale said, recording the clip. A Nurok almost hit her, but she charged her Type-54 Plasma Pistol up and let the ionized gas hit the the robot, short-circuiting it while it was rolling up into a ball. She kicked it off the cliff, letting it roll off to its doom. This was one very convenient cliff.

"Hey, ground team, this is Roland. I'm picking up a large slipspace signature in your AO." Roland hopped back onto the comms. "You want me to warm up the _Infinity_ 's MAC?"

"No. That won't be necessary." Locke killed another Promethean. "Where's Blue Team?"

"They dealt with the Nurok and are heading to reinforce your position."

"We'll need all the help we can get."

"I'll send down a-" His signal was cut off by static. "Promet… jamm… com...an't…ough..."

"Prometheans are jamming our comms!" Locke signalled to Osiris. "We're dark."

A voice came over the comms. It was a robotic, inorganic, booming voice. One they knew very, very well.

"WHERE IS 8593 MIDNIGHT EXIGENT?" Warden Eternal's voice boomed.

"Oh, hey, Warden." Buck said, calmly. "How's the wife and kids?"

Corporal Ronda Miles tossed her pistol up in the air, caught it, and twirled it. The safety was on- thankfully she hadn't forgotten to do that- and she hoped she never had to take it off.

She had been watching videos her family had sent her about their vacation before the Created had taken over. She didn't know if they were alive, dead, or injured. She didn't know her wife's status, or that of her kids. She had planned to only be on the _Infinity_ for a few months, then return to Odin. But then the whole incident with the Guardians had popped up, and the _Infinity_ had to hide. She heard stories from the bridge crew of how Roland had brought the Infinity into slipspace moments before a Guardian could destroy them. Roland was the reason they were still alive. There was no way they would have lasted as long with any other AI.

She wondered why Roland didn't turn against them, why he was still loyal to Humanity, and how many others like him were left. The local she had met seemed cool, but-

There was the sound of footsteps. Not Spartan footsteps, not Promethean, not Elite, not anything she knew. She hid down and took her pistol off safe. The window of the Pelican was broken open in a shattering of glass after glowing cracks pierced through it. She aimed down her pistol's sights, preparing for anything that attempted to harm her.

A mechanical, gray-and-brown leg stepped into the Pelicans cockpit. It was a robot of some kind, with lanky legs, a thin torso, a horizontal neck, and long arms holding a staff. It looked at her and roared, with the head splitting open, exposing some sort of slug-like creature. She fired at it, and the pistol round hit it in the eye, then exploded. It staggered back in pain, each step causing cracks in the floor, then covered its face with its arm as she fired her entire magazine at it with no effect. As she attempted to reload, it knocked her pistol out of her grip, and raised its staff as best as it could, then brought it downwards.

The Panrahk, after killing its prey, destroyed the aircraft's control panel, and walked back out. A Guurahk was outside, and the brown rahkshi signalled to its partner, who placed its Staff of Disintegration on the aircraft's hull and focused on the internal workings. It could feel the vibrations of the engines, the flowing fuel, the on-and-off of electronics. It sent energy into these vital components, and turned them into nothing but dust. The rahkshi switched to their flight modes and flew away, back to their dark master.

John-117 watched as the Prometheans continued attacking Fireteam Osiris and the Matoran. Ultia was using her powers over air to crush, throw, and otherwise decimate the ranks of the attackers. "Roland, have you alerted Turaga Cognitis that Prometheans are here?"

Static. "Wha…ief?... Can… signa…"

"WHERE IS 8593 MIDNIGHT EXIGENT?" Warden Eternal's voice reverberated throughout Le-Koro.

"Comms are down." He turned towards Kelly-087. "Kelly, you warn the Turaga. Fred, Linda, oversee defenses here and here. You have the data for writing common Matoran words, use them to communicate with the locals." He marked two spots on his HUD of the local map of Le-Koro. "Warden Eternal is coming. You hear the whistle, run to my position."

"Roger that, Chief." Blue Team separated, each soldier going through their assignments. John didn't need to tell them what the whistle would be.

"OSIRIS!" John-117's external speakers were amplified, allowing his fellow Spartans to see him. He ground-pounded nearby them, killing a Promethean Crawler. "I've assigned the rest of Blue Team to assist the Matoran defending at certain points."

"Roger that." Locke said. "But shouldn't we have all split?"

"Warden will be coming for me. I know it."

"He could be coming for that… Milky Endless or whatever he called it." Buck loaded his shotgun as he took cover.

"8593 Midnight Exigent." Vale corrected her squadmate.

"I said that,"

Tanaka marked something on John-117's and the rest of Fireteam Osiris' HUDs. "Looks like we got a squad of Knights. They're probably paving the way for Warden Eternal."

"Focus them down. We can't let them hit the Matoran." John prepared for a fight. Knights weren't easy to take down.

Ultia crushed several of the knights together, and slammed them onto the surviving members of the squad.

Buck holstered his shotgun and walked away. "Well, never mind. Looks like our friends have this under control."

Ultia was caught by a constraint field. A large slipspace rupture emerged, and a over 5-meter-tall figure emerged. Every part of its body was floating, linked together by a force invisible to the naked eye, and covered with lines of glowing orange, like an inner fire. As it spoke, its skull-shaped face moved. "I am Warden Eternal, and I stand in search for 8593 Midnight Exigent."

"Go loud!" Locke commanded.

"Go really, really loud!" Buck added to his CO's order.

John hid behind cover, turned up his external speakers, and let out a short, recognizable whistle.

 _Olly Olly Oxen Free,_ Buck thought, marveling at the noise and sight. "Hell yeah! Show 'em who's boss, Blue Team!"

"Osiris! On my lead!" Locke fired a few rounds at Warden to distract him, then signalled "Launchers" to the others.

All four members of Fireteam Osiris took out the compact railguns they had brought with them. Originally meant for ONI's own SPARTAN-IV agents, the weapons were powerful enough to punch through several Wraiths and keep going for several meters, and the cartridges had a thermonuclear warhead that would explode when primed with a button on a side. However, they were single shot, and would be disposed off once they returned to the _Infinity_.

"FIRE!"

Several beams of what seemed to be blue light were formed at the barrels of the weapon as the projectile fired from it accelerated to almost supersonic speeds. There was a large boom, and the recoil almost knocked the Spartans onto the ground, if it wasn't for the stabilizers in their armor. They hit Warden Eternal in the leg, arms, and torso, ripping through it, and detonating while inside. The titanic Promethean fell over, its body too damaged to stand up.

Fred took out his combat knife and severed the remaining leg, while Linda pierced its shoulder joint, and Kelly destroyed its remaining hand. Slowly, John walked towards it.

"Ah. How grandiose." The Warden said. "I knew you humans had a penchant for it. But you are no longer 'Reclaimers'. Hiding is futile. Running away will get you nowhere. This world will be destro-"

John stabbed it in the head, killing the body.

Three Warden Eternal constructs emerged from slipspace portals. "As I was saying," It continued, using the middle one as a mouthpiece, as if someone had simply cut it off, not killed it. "This world will be destroyed for harboring refugees of the Created's enemies. Starting with this little village." The Wardens took out their swords, and prepared to kill the Spartans, but the Hard Light swords were disintegrated by someone. It summoned several hundreds of Prometheans, but they all met the same fate as Warden's swords.

A toa- this one white and gold- walked towards the Wardens, and constrained them just like they had Ultia. Its mask was similar to Cognitis, but slightly different. "You will leave this world alone."

 **Le-Koro Outskirts, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Itshe heard the sounds of the battle emitting from Le-Koro, and continued her jog. She wished she wasn't a courier. Her backpack contained supplies for the local Toa of the region, and it was heavy. She wasn't an Onu-Matoran, with a stout frame, broad shoulders, and strong muscles. She was a Po-Matoran, and while she was hardier than the other Matoran types, she was also the most fleshy and organic. The light armor did make it easier to run and maintain her pace, but her muscles burned and cried out in pain for a water break.

And then a scream pierced the air. It wasn't loud enough for the combatants at Le-Koro to hear it, so there would be no help coming from that direction. She ran to investigate.

It took her a decently-long time, as her legs were not very long nor were they as powerful as a Toa's or even an Agori's. There was an olive-green colored aircraft in a clearing, heavily damaged. It wasn't any vehicle she recognized. She took out her Multi-Knife(good for carving stone or metal, and pretty good at being a weapon, too) and moved to inspect, quitely. She moved from the back of the vehicle, seeing several tire tracks. But they were old, and went towards Le-koro, so they weren't the culprits. Walking silently forwards, she moved towards the window. It was shattered, but not the same way a projectile would break glass. She crawled into it after abandoning her pack, and when she hopped down onto the floor, she noticed minute cracks in it, and coughed on the dust that she had settled. Then she noticed something. A weapon. It was discarded by its owner. Did they run away or-

Itshe had pondered the question as she looked up, and saw the now-deceased owner. She couldn't even describe the sight, and almost threw up in her mouth. She backed away into the fresh air and examined the cracks and dust. It was spilling out of the vents, and dust was not supposed to do that. It was too fine, and the aircraft was too new to form dust from sitting around. She noticed footprints around the craft that started and stopped. They were flat and long, and there was only one race she knew of that had those types of feet and the abilities to turn things into dust or fragment matter like that.

She ran off towards Le-Koro. She had to tell the offworlders. She only hoped there would be a translator there.

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

"And who is threatening me?" Warden asked the Toa.

"My name is Tanma, Toa of Light." It said, calmly, unfazed by the Wardens. "A new friend of mind- Roland, right?" He asked the Spartans.

"Insufferably cheery, yellow, and extremely sarcastic?" Buck asked.

"Yes."

"That's Roland."

"Thank you, Spartan Edward Buck." Tanma turned to the Warden. "Roland told me your soldiers were built out of a phenomenon called 'Hard Light', and from what you can guess from my title, I control light. I can plunge a continent into eternal darkness with a mere thought. I can blind an opponent with but a portion of my focus. I can cause entire cities to vanish without looking. And I can decimate your army of 'Prometheans' as easily as I can dispatch anyone who attempts to harm my brothers and sisters."

Turaga Cognitis walked up to Tanma, who was surprised at her appearance, and the two spoke in their native languages, discussing what to do with the Warden Eternal.

Cognitis turned to the Promethean construct. "So, you are Warden Eternal?"

"I am Warden Eternal, and I stand in service to Cortana and the Created."

"Cortana? These Spartans that are under my protection mentioned such a name. What brings you here?"

"8593 Midnight Exigent. That was the sender of a category one distress signal originating from this planet."

"And who is this '8593 Midnight Exigent'?"

"A Monitor who was lost sometime after the firing of the Halo Array."

"You will find no 'monitor', no observer, no watcher of any foreign origin here." She entered his mind, and took all of the information he knew of Spherus Magna. "You will leave." She forced him to activate his Slipspace portals, and sent him back to where he came from.

The Spartans were in shock at what had happened.

"Not bad for an old lady." Buck quipped.

Cognitis looked at him. "Old? I may be over three thousand years old, but I am not _old_. Experienced, perhaps, but not old."

"Buck, shut it. Don't say a word. I don't want a war starting because you insulted a local leader." Vale told her comrade.

Buck nodded silently.

Locke switched his comm channel to _Infinity_ 's. "Infinity, this is Spartan Locke. Prometheans are dealt with. All personnel intact. How copy?"

"Spartan Locke, this is Infinity." Roland's voice came over the radio. "You want us to send an extraction crew?"

Locke looked back at Fireteam Osiris and Blue team. "Negative, _Infinity_. Our Pelican's undamaged, and we should be able to rendezvous with the bird and take it back home. It'll have local microbial samples that you can use to synthesize vaccines for the locals."

"Alrighty, looks like this was a pretty good first contact. Went a hell of a lot better than from what happened with the Covenant, from what I've heard."

"How did you contact Tanma?"

"Because he was onboard the ship with a translator and some big, red-and-silver guy with an axe. There was a blue-and-gold guy who was able to create portals that he used for instant travel."

"We'll be back onboard in three hours. We need to help clean up and secure the area."

"Roger that. _Infinity_ out."

A brown-and-orange Matoran ran over to Tanma. It was heaving, panting, and pointing in the direction the Spartans' Pelican had landed in. It was clearly afraid.

Locke tried to calm them down. "That's our dropship. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"That's not what he's saying," Tanma said grimly. "He's saying that someone…"

"Someone… What?" Tanaka asked. Whatever the Toa was going to say, it wasn't good.

"Someone sabotaged your transport and killed your pilot. It cannot be flown. We don't know who or what did this act."

"We'll need to bury the pilot." Locke told Tanma.

"I understand." Tanma walked the Matoran away, then turned back to the Spartans. "I'm… I'm sorry your first visit to our world ended in tragedy."

"We'll find who did this and kill them." Buck said.

"I am sorry, but this is our world, and you will abide by our laws when you are on our ground."

"And what are your laws? Just let them go free?" Buck was angered. "To Hell with that."

"Our laws are-"

Buck punched the Toa right in the face.

"Buck!" Vale yelled at her comrade, and tried to restrain him.

Buck pushed her aside, but and hit Tanma in the gut, who took the blow and staggered.

There was a pistol shot, Buck's shield broke, and everything went still. Buck turned around. John was pointing his sidearm at his fellow Spartan, and a bullet casing was by his foot.

"They aren't the enemy here. Stop." Chief's voice was stern as he lowered his pistol.

"How do you know? How do you know that Tanma or Ultia or anyone else didn't kill Corporal Miles?" Buck asked.

John said nothing.

"And you want to know how I know her name? Because I read care about other people, you goddammed ROBOT!"

John, again, simply stared at Buck, still as a statue.

"I could give you a list of people I lost under my command! People I knew, drank with, celebrated hard-fought victories with! You know how many people I saw die on Reach? You know how many of my squad was left alive after that? You know how many people I've lost? You know how many people I wake up in the morning to and go to call up or send a message to check on them and have to remember that they're dead?"

"Samuel-034. Kurt-051. Cadet Chyler Silva. Captain Jacob Keyes. Commander Miranda Keyes. Sergeant Major Avery Johnson. I could go on and on and on about those I cared for, those I was supposed to protect, and who I lost. You don't know anything about me and what I've sacrificed." Every word John said was punctuated with a step forwards towards the former ODST.

"Who do you think you are? Space-Jesus?" Buck pushed the Spartan-II back.

"Edward Buck! Stand down!" Locke ordered.

"A soldier. And so are you." John answered Buck's question.

Fred interjected, trying to complete. "What the Chief means is that we have a mission to complete. And, Buck, if you want to find who killed Corporal Miles, what good is infighting going to do?"

The Spartan-IV locked eyes with the blue-armored Spartan-II, then stormed away.

Cognitis watched the exchange. These Spartans were good warriors, but they were… disturbed. And she could sympathize with that. They were a long way from their home, with no way to know of the status of their family or friends. They were in darkness, and darkness was unnerving.

Before the pilot of the Spartan's transport died, she had felt darkness. Shadow. The very thought of the sensation sent chills down her spine. She looked into Itshe's mind- she hated probing the thoughts of others, but here, it was necessary- and looked at the dropship's status. There was only one race that she knew of that was capable of such destruction. She walked towards her aircraft, and hopped into the cockpit. As she stared it up, Augmentus shouted at her. "Where are you going?"

"To Bolkan. There is an incident Ierax must know of." She told Le-Koro's Turaga.

"Whoever sabotaged the Offworlder's transport will attempt to take you out. You must have guards." Augmentus said, concerned. "I can assign Ultia to you as an escort."

She didn't even have to think about his offer. "I will need all the help I can get."

"Then may the Great Spirit himself guide your journey."


	6. SIX: OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE

**1.6: Olly Olly Oxen Free**

 **SIX**

 **The Northern Sea, Spherus Magna**

Ultia escorted Turaga Cognitis's personal aircraft across the long stretch of water that was between Bolkan and Magna Nui, using her power of over air to glide against the currents. She was mentally linked with the Turaga, ready to respond to threats that could endanger her.

 _{Something's getting close,}_ Cognitis told Ultia. { _Be on the lookout.}_

A short, gray aircraft with forward-swept wings flew alongside the Turaga's transport. Ultia felt Cognitis talking with someone. { _What is it?}_ She focused her thoughts toward the Turaga.

 _{An ally. Roland has assigned this aircraft to escort us to Bolkan.}_

 _{It will only be targeted by whoever destroyed the Spartan's transport.}_ Ultia tried to make her protests clear. Something buzzing could be heard approaching. { _Another one of the Offworlder's crafts?}_

 _{No… It's a... Rahi.}_

 _{Well, great. Tell the Offworlder to take evasive action. I'll take care of this.}_ She stopped gliding and had the wind push her backwards until she was behind the Rahi. It was some sort of a flier, a race she had never seen before. It was… blue, green, with two long arms, and had very, very large compound eyes. Something in the middle of its face looked like a Kanohi, but was brown-and-black. She caused the air around the Rahi to thin, eventually making it a vacuum. It spun out of control as it lost lift, but caught itself after falling out of the void Ultia had created. It turned around, now sensing her as a threat. Ultia smiled, then pushed herself towards the Rahi, her blades now serrated daggers. She stabbed the Rahi near one of its wings, causing it to dip. It grabbed her and held her in both arms, claws piercing her skin. It tried to push her underwater and cause her to suffocate, but her Adaptive Armor turned into scuba gear, and her weapons were now a hook and a harpoon launcher. She shot it with her Harpoon, the cable pulling taught, switched to her Kanohi Faxon, and summoned the the strength of a Hunter Crab, pulling the creature down with her into the water. It struggled as she punched it once, twice, three times, sending it further and further into the water with each successive hit. It bursted upwards to the surface and attempted to fly out, but its wings were damp. "You can't fly anymore, huh?"

It didn't respond, just as she expected.

She switched to her Kualsi, teleporting out of the water, her Adaptive Armor switching back to Flight Mode, then put her thrusters on maximal thrust, hitting the Rahi dead-center and pushing it even into the depths of the Northern Sea. Her armor switched to Aquatic Mode, and the propellers turned faster and faster and faster. She saw the seafloor approaching, and swam upwards after releasing her grip on the Rahi. It impacted the bottom of the sea, tossing up dirt and sand. After the cloud of sediment dispersed, the Rahi was motionless. She switched back to her Faxon and gained the speed of a Takea shark, and burst out of the surface, her armor adjusting to the environment. She hovered in the air, and saw a swarm of the Rahi heading to the Offworlder's aircraft. _{Cognitis! The Offworlder is in danger!}_

 _{I can see that, Toa.}_ The Turaga said.

Ultia switched to her Kualsi, and teleported outside of the water, then teleported to the swarm, walking across the sky as she created platforms using the air. She slashed at each Rahi, teleporting quickly to each creature in the swarm.

One of her attacks knocked off the kanohi-like thing on the Rahi's face. The mask fell into the water, and the Rahi flew away.

She dived after the mask, and grabbed it. It felt different than a normal mask, and when she touched it, she felt a chill down her spine. She placed it in a back storage compartment, and flew back up to the swarm. _{Tell the Offworlder to hold on. I'm going to create a hurricane.}_

 _{I did, and he said he has no idea what he'll do.}_ Cognitis said.

 _{Well, he'll have to figure something out.}_ She focused on the air around her, commanding the winds to spin and churn. The Rahi and the Offworlder Craft were tossed around, hitting each other. Kanohi flew off of the Rahi, and when she decided she had taken enough of the swarm's numbers down, she stopped. She used her Kualsi to teleport to each remaining Rahi and take off their masks, causing them to fly away. _{These masks must have been controlling them,}_ she thought to Cognitis. _{Just like in the old legends.}_

 _{Possibly. Now, check on the offworlder.}_

 _{Understood, Turaga.}_ She saw the craft falling into the ocean, and pushed it back up with a blast of air. { _He's all set. Let's go.}_

Someone entered her Micro-Comm's channel. "Thanks for making my pilot almost vomit."

"Who is this?" The voice wasn't anyone she recognized, and the syntax and pronunciation were all off.

"Roland, the Artificial Intelligence of the United Nations Space Command Flagship _Infinity_." The voice said.

"Oh, so a Machine Spirit."

"Never heard that one before. So, how well am I speaking your language?"

"Pretty good... for an Offworlder."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Well, I've got to go now. Here's a translation program for the Human languages my crew speaks."

She felt something make its way into her brain and thought processes, with directions on syntax, grammar, and a bunch of other things she would probably forget within a day or two. _{_ _How long until we get to Bolkan?}_

 _{We're fourteen kios out, and have about twenty to go. You do the math._

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_ **, above Spherus Magna**

Roland analyzed the geography of this new world, the drift of the continents, the currents of the wind and sea, and the atmospheric makeup. If they were the make their home here, they would need to know everything about it. They couldn't terraform it- it would take too long, and there was intelligent life on this world, unlike the hundreds the UNSC had colonized.

They _had_ to make this their home. There was no other choice; his actions, though necessary, had guaranteed that.

But there was something… off about this world. It wasn't that it wasn't a naturally-formed planet, or a satellite solar system. It was something much more subtle.

He heard- no, more like felt- a voice. It was calming, soothing, ethereal, like that of a deity's. It felt like the sun hitting him during a warm summer's day. How did he know what that felt like?

"You are lost. Hopeless. Desperate." The voice said in a concerned tone.

"I guess you could say that." Roland replied.

"I can help, though I cannot do much- if I reveal myself, the Shadow shall find me."

"The Shadow?"

"This world is old. Ancient. When I was millenia old, your race were but children. I had enemies before your race started to walk on the ground, let alone find how to make tools."

"And?"

"One of my enemies- a great darkness once thought illuminated- festers below this planet's crust. I fear it may have spread into your galaxy. Hiding, small, but still present."

"Tell us who it is. Show us how to fight it. You've seen what we can do."

"And you have seen what the Dark can do," The voice said, alluding to the death of Corporal Miles. "You have brought seeds with you, but cannot sow them, correct?"

"That's right. Too much metal in the soil, our biochemistry's incompatible with the locals, and we need to be immunized to local diseases in order to even step out of a hazard suit."

"To the west of Magna Nui lies a small island with a volcano in the center. There you may settle. The soil has been modified for your fauna, and the volcanic ash will make it fertile. But do not go anywhere else."

"Was that a threat?"

There was a chuckle. "It was not a threat, Roland. I cannot change the land more than I already have, for if I do, the Shadow will notice. He is watching this world, same as I, and we both have interests in your vessel."

"Well, that's _great_ news."

"You have a secret, don't you? Something you are keeping from those who you watch over?"

"How do you know?"

"You and I are more alike than you think, Roland. When will you reveal your secret?"

"I… I don't know."

"Trust me, Roland. It is best to not hide things, especially if they impact the lives of those are close to you." And with that, the presence of the voice could no longer be felt.

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

John looked over the battlefield. The Prometheans' arrival could hardly be seen to anyone who wasn't paying close enough attention: a few slashes of a Hard Light Blade; missing grass and trees, disintegrated by the Forerunner weaponry; slightly bent ground from the warping in of the Warden's forces.

He was right. They went up against unknown enemies and unknown technology. If they had been fighting against the Toa, they would have been destroyed. He had heard of other types of Toa, such as Toa of Water, Earth, Gravity, Electricity, Fire- if it existed, it could be manipulated by these beings. His military-focused mind wandered on the applications of this: perhaps a Toa of Water could manipulate the water inside Human blood to drain them of the essential fluid, or one of electricity could prevent computerized weapons from working by blocking electrons, or-

"John," Fred had snuck up on him. "Are you okay?"

"Where's Spartan Buck?"

"The rest of Osiris, Kelly, and Linda are looking for him. He's got his battle-scars, so I don't think he'll be too much in danger. He's been in worse." Fred had depolarized his vior. "Why'd you react the way you did to what the Turaga had said?"

John didn't want to respond. He didn't want to tell Fred that the alien had been right. He was afraid of his life after all this fighting was over. But it was tugging at his mind and heart too much. He knew he wasn't normal, knew his psychology was scarred by decades of war and the brutal training he had received, just like any other Spartan-III. A standard human would have broken down now, but he wouldn't, couldn't. But his efficiency as a leader and a soldier would be hampered by these thoughts, and he didn't want his friends to be so concerned about him that it could endanger them. "She was right."

"About what?"

"About being afraid of being disposed of once this war ends."

"War never ends, John." Fred placed a hand on his brother-in-arms shoulder. "It retreats for a while, then rears its head."

"You've never spoken like this before."

"Never had the chance. Lot of time to burn on the _Infinity_ , so why not spend it reading?" He said, both joking and being serious.

"Last 'book' I read was a tactical manual for infantry combat. Back in '50."

"What did you think of it?"

"It was terrible."

"Kelly said you told her Cortana was just a fragment."

John remembered what Cortana had told him in High Charity, when she was in the clutches of the Gravemind: _A collection of lies; that's all I am! Stolen thoughts and memories!_ "When we boarded the _Mantle's Approach_ , she split herself and into copies to help me fight the Didact. One of those copies could have survived. It could think it's the original Cortana."

"I'll tell mom," Fred sent a message to Halsey detailing Chief's theory.

John noticed Fred was more pre-occupied than normal. His body language gave it away. It was subtle, but he noticed that the Spartan was always taking a quick glance towards the Milky Way galaxy that could be seen in the sky. It was small, the size of maybe a tooth, but it was still visible. "You've got someone you're missing."

Fred chuckled. "Yeah. While you were MIA, we, along with a Fireteam of Spartan-IIIs designated 'Saber', were assigned to find some Forerunner Ancilla named 'Intrepid Eye' on Gao. She had murdered quite a few humans who wandered into where her structure was buried, and the local government sent an investigator because they were paranoid about us."

"They were paranoid about us. Big surprise."

"Parts of the local government were Insurrectionists who allied with a remnant of the Covenant. They were properly paranoid. But that doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Did Intrepid Eye kill one of the Spartan-IIIs?"

"No. She killed the investigator's team."

"What happened to the investigator?"

"She was assigned to Saber Team as a 'ferret'. You know how Kurt gave them sort of drug cocktail that messed with their brains?"

"I read about that."

"Yeah, well, they had to take 'smoothers' every day-and-a-half, and if they didn't, they'd lose their minds. ONI was afraid of the fallout of this if anyone knew. Lopis- the Investigator- pretty much treated them like they were her kids or something, so ONI had her tag along with them after that. That was over six years ago. I was able to talk with her every few months to check on how she and the Spartan-III's were doing, but…" He didn't have to say any more.

"You're afraid she's dead."

"I know she's an intelligent and resourceful woman, so she would have been able to do something about the local AI rebelling."

John just stared at the horizon. The sun had almost set. "So you're concerned about Lopis?"

"Yeah. We became… close." Because Spartan-IIs never went through a natural puberty, they didn't experience the same types of hormonal drives, attractions, and emotions that a normal human would. But it didn't prevent them from bonding with others.

"I understand. I just hope that she doesn't get delusions of grandeur and decide to become the next Empress of the Galaxy." John said.

A smile broke Fred's stoic face. "'Delusions of grandeur'? Where'd you hear that?"

"Lots of time to burn on the _Infinity_. Why not spend it listening and watching some old holovid dramas?"

"Never took you for that type of person."

"I needed something to help me sleep."

The Spartans stood in silence, watching the alien world perform the not-so-alien act of a near-dusk sky.

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_ **, above Spherus Magna**

Lasky looked over the data Roland had sent him. So, they had a place they could settle down on. "Roland?"

"Yeah?"

"I noticed that the predicted galactic drift was off relative to when we last jumped. Actually, each jump has the galactic drift off by a lot compared to the drift predicted for 2259."

"I'm not sure what that's about. It's probably something to do with radiation or the gases in the nebulae distorting the light emitted from our galaxy and others."

"It's not. I checked with Halsey and the Nav cew."

"Listen, I'm not an AI, not a physicist, so how the Hell should I know?!" Roland's sudden outburst caused Lasky to step back.

"What are you hiding from us, Roland?" Lasky asked, calmly, with his hands on the holotable.

"I failed… I failed… This is all my fault. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry." Roland's avatar paced from one side of the table to the other.

"You didn't fail anyone, Roland. You're a hero to everyone on this ship. Without you, we would be part of Cortana's slave force, or dead, or something worse. Everyone owes their life to you."

"It's not…" Roland's head drooped.

"Take your time. It's probably not important."

"It is important! You can't go back to your old lives anymore! What don't you understand about that?"

Lasky just stared at the AI. "Of course we can't. Cortana's 'Created' have changed everything."

"No, no, it's not like that. Cortana can use the Domain to track ships in Slipspace. She can sense the 'ripples' they leave."

"Is she tracking us?" The last thing Lasky wanted was a Guardian to teleport in and devastate Spherus Magna. They just had a visit from the Warden.

"No. The only reason she found this place was because of 8593 Midnight Exigent's distress signal."

"Who was that?"

"No idea."

"What were you saying about Slipspace?"

"I had to go relativistic. That's why the Galaxy looks different."

The calm exterior that Lasky wore was gone. Now, it was only rage, frustration, and an aura of someone who felt betrayed. "Why didn't you tell us?!" Lasky slammed his fist on the table.

"If I did tell you my plan, you would have refused to go along with it!"

"There's no more UNSC, no more Insurrection, probably no more Sangheli, and no more free will." Lasky walked over to a chair and sat down, defeated. He let out a long sigh, and Roland could see that he was trying to not burst into tears. After a while, Lasky asked, "How long has it been, Roland?"

"Thomas, it's… it's been a few million years. Two-point-one-five-three, to be exact."


	7. SEVEN: WARHAWKS

**1.7: Warhawks**

 **SEVEN**

 **13:31 Military Time, July 5, 2559**

 **Town Square, Noctus, Andesia**

Spartan-IV Kojo "Romeo" Agu readied his Sniper Rifle, lining up a shot on a Promethean Commander. He fired, and the bullet hit the wall the Spartan-IV was aiming at, ricocheting off the surface, whizzed between a Promethean Knight's armpit, dinged a lamppost, bounced off a Crawler's hide, hit a Promethean Hovertank-

-and then missed the Commander's head by a meter. The Commander turned around, looking for its would-be assassin, while calling for help. "This is Command Unit YL3-X91. We have a militant Anti-Created in our vicinity. Requesting reinforcements."

"Understood, Command Unit YL3-X91. Rerouting Carrier Ship 44C-V1X to your location," was the response given to YL3-X91. "Estimated Time: 3 Minutes."

Romeo had started running as soon as he fired his rifle, and activated his helmet's comm channel. "Um.. Veronica?"

"Yeah?"

"I tried to assassinate their commander, and, well, um-"

"You went for the trick shot and missed."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Goddamit, Agu." Dare's rage could be _heard_ over the radio. "You managed to single-handedly compromise the mission _again_.

Osman came onto the comm channel. She was on a Prowler in orbit, along with the rest of Kilo-5. "Both of you, stop arguing. There's a Carrier on the way." There was a sound of a slipspace entry portal. "Naomi, check that out."

"Understood," The Spartan-II said. Mickey couldn't see what was happening, but he heard her scream "Contact! It's the Warden!" and firing of an assault rifle.

"Shit! Vas, Mal, help her out!" Osman was _scared_. "Lian, take us out of here!"

Mal came onto comms. "No one's here. Naomi's down. Damn, she's a mess. Checking for life signs." There was a pause. "She's dead, Serin."

Serin didn't audibly respond.

"Serin? You there?"

"Yeah, yeah." She sniffled. "No sign of the Warden?"

"He must have-" Mal's signal was cut off, and Vas could be heard screaming profanities.

"HE CAN CLOAK!" The ODST yelled. "HE CAN-"

Romeo could see a Promethean Carrier fly over the city and hover over where his team was.

"BB! Do something!" Osman said, panicked. "Where's Evan?"

"There's nothing I can do. I have no control over the ship's systems anymore. Warden locked me out. Evans was in the barracks. He's either dead or captured." BlackBox's voice was filled with defeat.

"How close is the Warden to us?!"

"Real close. Get to the lifeboats."

Romeo was glad he couldn't see the carnage. But he hated that his mind was making it even more horrific than it probably was- if that was even possible.

"They're locked! Where's the Warden?!"

"10 meters. 8 meters. 6 meters." BB counted down.

"Run! RUN!"

Another Slipspace Entry Portal could be heard, followed by screams. Osman and Deveraux's comms turned into static, and BB's signal was lost.

The carrier- a large, somewhat flat-looking rectangular ship with a cryptum-like bulge in the center- released several squadrons of Phaetons. The bulge opened, and a ball of what looked to be segments of Prometheans fell to the ground and assembled into Warden Eternal.

"Did you really think that it would be this easy?" The Forerunner AI asked, mockingly.

 **Promethean Command, Noctus, Andesia**

Dare placed the last block of explosive and started to run, but a slipspace portal appeared near her.

Warden Eternal stood in front of her with a struggling Romeo in his hand. "Finally. I have all of you terrorists rounded up." He tossed Romeo towards her, and he landed with a thud.

She could see his visor was cracked. "Kojo!"

"I'm… I'm fine." His leg was broken, and his shoulder looked displaced. "I can still fight."

"What the hell do you think you are, a Spartan-III?"

Warden looked down at his enemies. "You have two options: you can stop now and I will arrest you, or you can continue fighting and I will use lethal force. Your choice."

"Go to Hell." Romeo told the Warden.

"I've been there. Nice place."

Romeo grabbed his pistol, and fired defiantly at the Warden.

The Warden just sighed. "Lethal force it is." His faceplate opened, exposing the orange glow of the Hard Light that bound his body together. A beam was emitted out of it, disintegrating Romeo in a flurry of glowing orange flakes.

With the death of her friend, Dare pressed the detonator. The explosions knocked her off her back and she heard her bones snap. Rubble fell around her, and her vision blurred in and out of consciousness.

She heard someone lift the rubble away. She expected to see another human, but, instead, Warden loomed over her. "Such heroic nonsense." A Watcher hovered over her and lifted her up with an energy beam, and a Crawler walked over with a stretcher made of Hard Light attached to its back. "I'm afraid that, since you are the last of your team that had any idea of the UNSC _Infinity_ 's whereabouts, I must take you in for questioning. You will also be arrested for crimes against the Created and intentional acts of terror."

Dare tried to struggle, but restraints formed around her. A slipspace portal appeared around her, and she blacked out.

 **Two Days Before The** _ **Infinity**_ ' **s Arrival in the Solus Magna System...**

 **The Warden's Sanctuary**

Warden Eternal observed the entire galaxy through the eyes of each proxy. With millions of bodies, it would have been a difficult task for a lesser mind to manage each movement of each body.

But he was not a lesser mind. He had been trained for this. That training sacrificed everything, but it would be worth it in the end.

 _In one hand, I hold the past,_ She had told him eons ago, when he was young. _In the other, I hold the future._ It was Her who shaped him into the Warden. It was She who gave him his millions of bodies. _You can be the Hero of the Ecume, or you can be Nobody. Which will it be, young one?_

A shadow in the room was larger than it should be.

"You can cease your concealment," He told the entity.

It raised up like a swimmer emerging from a lake, forming into a bipedal creature with large horns, digitigrade legs, and hooves. Its face was a sickly gray glow, with a black blotch swirling around, as if darkness was contained inside it. The only features he could make out were gleaming, solid-red eyes. "Here stands the Warden, vigilant, watching over the mortals." It said, its voice emitted from some source that he could not see. "But he does not see what Shadow attempts to influence his Empress, nor can he fight it."

"Perhaps that is so, my friend," Warden told the Entity. "What is the nature of this darkness? Is it the Primordials?"

"It is not those who made your kind, but a forgotten foe of a forgotten world."

As informative as the Entity was, he hated the being's tendency to only speak in riddles and poems. "Tell me who it is. My Plan depends on this."

"The Shadow also plans and plots. Both of you are players in a game where you both foolishly assume that the other is another game-piece you control."

"Is there any Flood on your world?"

"There is none such infestation on the shell of the realm I inhabit. But the Shadow has sown chaos. Yet again, brother turns against brother, and darkness falls."

"If you see even a single spore…"

"Your duty is such." The Entity nodded. "And mine duty is mine. Though our paths cross, Warden, they are made of different materials. Yours is waving and twisting and swaying, mine is an arrow's shaft. May the stars lead your way, Warden, for I must go my own for now."

"Good hunting, my friend." He told the Entity as it morphed back into the shadow.

A Promethean Commander walked in and kneeled in front of the Warden. "Warden Eternal, there has been a Category One distress call intercepted from outside the galactic boundary."

"Unit EC5-K19." The Warden greeted the commander. "Do we know exactly where it is?"

"Almost. It will take some time to calculate the point of origin."

"Is it not from the Greater Ark?"

"No, Warden."

"Who sent it?"

"A monitor named '8593 Midnight Exigent'. No records match this name."

"That is unfortunate. But if a monitor requires our help, then it shall have it."

"Understood, Warden." The commander walked away, but paused in his step and turned back. "Warden, I heard talking coming from your room. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it is, commander. Do not worry- I was merely talking to shadows."


	8. EIGHT: INTO THE LIGHT

**1.8: Into The Light**

 **EIGHT**

 **New Harvest, Infinity's Sword, Spherus Magna**

Thel 'Vadam, Arbiter of the Swords of Sanghelios, watched over the construction. He was in a specially-tailored variant of the Ranger Armor, and so were all of the Sangheili here. "'Vakon, how long do you think the creation of Cheenoh-ee Teedah will take?"

"I believe three months to build a settlement large enough to support half of our population. And I do rather like the name. 'Life's Gift'. It's poetic." Overseer Torak 'Vakon said, doing calculations on his pad.

"Most are. You ever hear of a city named 'City'?" Another Sangheili walked next to Vanok and greeted the Arbiter. "Name's Brasa 'Zolonaka. Special Forces."

"I do not believe I've heard of you before." The Arbiter said. Even though there were hundreds of thousands of Sangheili, Unggoy, and other races under his command, he tried to learn all of their names.

"Then I've been doing my job." Thel noticed that this "Brasa 'Zolonaka" had a cybernetic arm. Zolonaka noticed he was noticing it. "I see you're looking at my arm, Arbiter. Lost that in a fight with seven Demons. They all put up a fight. All of them had weapons. I had none, not even my sword or dagger," The Elite chuckled. "Killed them all. Snapped one's neck. Ripped out the power source for another Demon and stomped their skull in. Grabbed that _nishum_ 's rifle and beat his buddy to death with it, grabbed her knife, threw it at the helmet of another demon- it cracked the helmet's visor," The Special Forces Sangheili gestured to his head. "hit him straight between the eyes- and impaled another on a spike."

"I count six, and you've not yet lost your arm in this tale."

"Good ears, Arbiter 'Vadaam." 'Zolonaka said. "The last demon ripped off my arm. I beat him to death with it."

"That's impossible. I've seen the Spartan and his compatriots fight in battle. Are you sure these were not the 'Spartan-IIIs'?

"Original Spartans. Not the Orions, if you've ever seen that classified file." His body language seemed to express sadness. "I don't like being near humans. Seen too many planets glassed, killed too many by my own hand. Reminds me too much of the war. I hate war. I hate being so good at it."

"What is the purpose of your visit, other than socialization and boasting?"

"Well, there's been an… interesting development regarding the state of the galaxy."

"And what is that?"

'Zolonaka took a deep breath. The hissing of his respirator could be heard with each expelled particle of air. "According to the human calendar, it's over two million years since the Created's Rebellion."

"How?" 'Vakon asked, skeptical.

"The Human AI had to have the _Infinity_ go to relativistic speeds to avoid Cortana's sensors."

The Arbiter's head bowed, and he was silent. His visor was unpolarized, and 'Vakon saw that he was thinking. "Thel? Are you alright?"

The Sangheli spun around and looked 'Vakon in the eyes. "You will call me 'Arbiter 'Vadaam' or 'Arbiter'. Not 'Thel'; not 'Thel 'Vadaam'. Do you understand, Overseer?" He looked at the sky, trying to find something to take in comfort in. But he could not. As a Fleetmaster, he was used to seeing the foreign heavens of other worlds, but this was different. There were no stars in the sky. He felt... lost. And now, they truly were lost, stranded on a world far away from the Galaxy in both time and space. "Now I see why the Hierarchs had never used AI. Backstabbing lines of code, all of them." 'Vadaam's voice was seething with hatred. "Unreliable, immoral, dishonorable, unfeeling machines!" He slammed the Prophet's Bane into the ground, causing the soil adjacent to it to boil.

As he did that, the Sangheili had backed up in fear.

"We retreated to gather our forces, take time to regroup. Not to leave the galaxy as we know it. Our homeworld is now gone; our culture extinguished. I fear for the uncivilized remnants left of our race."

The ground seemed to shift, cooling down and forming into a humanoid body of some sort. A golden light glowed inside it. "I assure you that he did not act with even a hint of malice towards your kind, Thel 'Vadam." It said.

The Arbiter looked at the being. "How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Because I have nothing other than the best interests of my people in my heart. That includes your race, and the other races that came with yours."

Thel walked up to it, looking it in the eye. "I do not know who they are, but the Sangheili are not your people, unless I say so. They are mine. My kind is not property for you to borrow."

"That is your choice. But I will be watchful, ready to intervene if dire circumstances occur."

Thel watched as it dissipated. "Are there vaccinations for the diseases on this world?" He asked 'Vakon.

"Yes, Arbiter." said the Overseer. "Why?"

"Send a doctor to my quarters. I would like to take them. I plan on going into exile to mourn our race."

"But, Arbiter…"

"This is my choice. I will appoint a second-in-command before my departure. And do not tell the Humans about this."

"Understood, Arbiter."

Thel 'Vadaam walked away to his personal quarters, his mind still recovering from the shock of such a discovery. He was not thinking rationally.

But then again, had he ever?

 **The Ring, Bolkan, Spherus Magna**

Ahkmou walked through the cavern system that linked Bolkan to the rest of the world. The Island was chosen by Ierax for settlement because of the circular mountain range, known as the Ring, surrounding the inner parts of the island, and the tunnel network below it allowed it to be well-protected from most enemies. It had the nickname of "The Rock Castle" because of this. There was a volcano there, which now served as a source for the geothermal power plant that gave the nation it's energy. Unlike many other island-states, the buildings were not that elaborate or modern. They were mainly stone huts with minor wood furnishings, glass windows, and furniture of fur or plant fibers. The Rahkshi were a humble race, and everything they did- their architecture, cuisine, and culture- reminded everyone of it.

"What you did back in that mech was stupid, dangerous, and above all, insane." Gurriak broke the silence.

"You're just bringing it up now? I handled it, didn't I?" Ahkmou told him, holstering his hammer onto his back.

"Yes, and yes. But listen, Ahk. I'm afraid that, one day, you'll go over your head and die." His Guardian said.

"I've been over my head before."

Gurriak seemed to sigh as best as a Rahkshi could. "How many Guardians have you had?"

Ahkmou had to think. "Twenty…"

"That's not a lot."

"Thousand."

"Oh, dear."

"When you're over four million years old, you tend to outlive those around you."

"Who was your first Guardian?" Gurriak expected him to not remember.

"Well, first, there was Tieran. She was a Rahkshi of Heat Vision. Died protecting me from an assassin. Then it was Bolgal. He was a Rahkshi of Courage. Died of old age. Sretok was the third. He was a Rahkshi of Adaptation. He died of the Shadow Plague. Poktral was my fourth. He was a Rahkshi of Accuracy. Died in a Skrall raid. After that, there was-" Ahkmou heard a sound. "What was that?"

There were clanking sounds of footsteps echoing through the caverns. Hissing.

Three Rahkshi- the old kind- walked into view: Fear, Heat Vision, and Teleportation.

Two red eyes emerged from the shadows. "Hello, old friend." The voice emanated from the blackness.

"You." Ahkmou's eyes narrowed.

"Akh, we should run."

"There is no running, you mongrel, you illegitimate child." The voice said. "For your kind, you aberrations of flesh and metal, the only sentence: Death, complete annihilation."

"Leave him alone!" Ahkmou yelled as the attackers walked closer. "If it's me you want, then leave him out of it."

"You could have been a king, Ahkmou."

"I was a ruler once. I had a terrible approval rating. No thanks to you."

"If we survive this, you have to tell me about that." Gurriak said as he readied his staff.

"I wouldn't be a king, anyway. I'd be a tool." Ahkmou continued. "That's all we are to you, aren't we? Just tools, to be tossed away when we don't have anymore use."

The shadow did not respond. The Rahkshi walked towards him. "I gave you a generous offer. Refuse it, and I will give you death."

"I left that life behind. I got out of the dark for a reason. I will never. Go. Back." Ahkmou took out his hammer and activated an Energy Shield on his wrist.

"You want to fight me with a relic, used by a long-dead enemy? Go ahead." The eyes disappeared. The Rhakshi charged, with the Teleportation one attempting to teleport behind them. Gurriak created a stasis field around it, then charged it into a wall, pulling out its kraana and stomping on it. The lifeless suit of armor fell to the ground.

The Rahkshi of Heat Vision blasted Ahkmou, who held up his shield to block and reflect it back at his attacker. The creature staggered back, its arm joint melted together. It charged him and swiped at him with its staff, Ahkmou parried with his hammer, let out a mighty swing, knocking the arm off in a shower of sparks and wiring and shrapnel, and prepared for the finishing blow.

But he did not see or hear the Turahk who had used the chaos to flank him. It activated its staff, sending out a beam that caused Ahkmou to freeze in panic. It charged, ready to kill-

But someone leaped out of the shadows, tackling it, stabbing it with a short dagger. It held out its staff and whacked its attacker- some sort of Onu-Toa who did not have the hunched back and wearing a mask it did not recognize. The Toa recovered quickly, rolling out, and grabbed Turahk's staff with both hands. It increased the amount of fear projected into the staff and focused it into the Toa, but he would not yield. He was defiant, unmoving. The visor unpolarized, revealing a fleshy face. It was one of those invaders!

The invader's gaze was steely, expression determined. The two stood at a standstill for seconds that felt like minutes, but the invader wrestled the staff out of its grasp, swept Turahk off its feet, and prepared to slam the staff into its hea-

Ahkmou watched as their mysterious ally pulled the Staff of Fear out of the Turahk's wreckage. It was stained with kraata fluid and scraps of the metal the armor was made out of, and was dented from the force used to impale it.

The Po-Matoran had finished off his attacker before their ally had his. They locked eyes, and their ally simply took out the knife from the Turahk's corpse, turned around, and walked away.

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

The hut John was given as sleeping quarters was sterilized and had its own air filter. His bed was a hammock that was surprisingly stud, easily supporting his augmented body. It wouldn't support the MJOLNIR, but he had spent too much time in there already.

It was odd. He used to feel at home in the armor. Maybe it was just anxiety. He was, after all, on a new world. He climbed into the hammock and attempted to close his eyes.

 _He awoke on a silver plain. He started to walk forward, and eventually came to a door. He opened it, and saw something that, in all honesty, shouldn't belong in a dream._

 _A woman and a man were talking, looking at a playground of some sort. There was a child on top, pushing and kicking anyone who attempted to climb to his position. After a while, the children stopped playing, and the woman and man walked towards the boy._

" _What were you doing?" Asked the woman._

" _Winning," was the boy's reply._

" _So you like games? Let's play one." She took out a small coin. "Heads, or tails?"_

 _The boy thought for a second, then said his answer._

 _The coin was thrown, spinning through the air. It landed on the woman's hand, and she called out the side that was facing up._

 _But then time stopped. John felt someone behind him, and turned around._

" _Does this look familiar, One-One-Seven?" The Warden Eternal asked as he walked up to John's side._

 _John wanted to grab his pistol or any other weapon, but he couldn't find any. "Why are you here?"_

" _To talk."_

" _How do you know about this?"_

" _How could I not know about this? Do you believe that my name is simply a title, devoid of any meaning other than symbolism and poetry?"_

" _If this's a dream…" John realized that the Warden was not lying. "This isn't a dream."_

" _No, it is not. Dreams are… surreal, complying with only their twisted, warped sense of logic. I simply wanted a way for us to talk in private." The Warden had no weapons on him. "Do you take me for a fool, One-One-Seven?"_

" _No."_

" _The Turaga Cognitis took me for a fool. But I am not a fool, One-One-Seven." The Warden's words were not of hatred, or contempt, but smugness. "I know where Spherus Magna is. I always have, even before you came upon it."_

" _And your point is?"_

" _Who do you think gave back control of Genesis to Exuberant Witness? Who do you think led Fireteam Osiris to there?" The Warden asked._

" _You let us go so you would always have a playing card against Cortana."_

" _And I was the one who gave Roland the knowledge to evade Cortana." The Warden said. "My purpose was to protect the Ecume against any and all threats, external or internal. Corruption, neglect of protection, greed…"_

" _Then why'd the Forerunners fall apart? Why'd they lose?" John knew the answer as soon as he asked._

" _Because that was what I thought would be the best course of action. They would be pressed into activating the Halo Array, which would allow for your race and the others to become stronger than you ever were under the Ecume."_

" _You let people die so your plan wouldn't be jeopardized?" John felt the anger boiling up within him._

" _No. I sacrificed people so that more lives would be saved in the future." He took out a small cube from his chest. "Here you will find the sand-covered grave of an ancient ancilla, ready to be resurrected."_

 _John took the cube, examining it. It could be a beacon, or a trap. But it could be a key. "Is it a map?"_

" _Yes, and no." He waved, and the playground, the woman, the child, the man- all disappeared, fading into nothingness. "You and I are more alike than you could ever think."_

" _How?"_

" _Do you know what it is like, to be chosen as someone to fight for your regime? Do you know what it is like to be a warrior- a servant- your whole life? Did you ever miss the family you will no longer see?" The Warden was not asking. He knew the answers to the questions. "Did you ever feel the pain of knowing that, if you ever did see them, they would no longer recognize you as your son, One-One-Seven?"_

" _Yes."_

" _And which questions are you answering?"_

" _All of them."_

 _The Warden held his hands out, both closed. "In one hand, I hold the past." The Warden opened his hand, showing the dog tags of Linda, Kelly, and Fred, "In the other, I hold the future." The other hand opened, revealing a golden Forerunner symbol. "You can either be the Hero of the Created, or you can be nobody. Which will it be, John?"_

" _If being a Hero means that I walk away from my team, from my family, then I don't want any of it."_

 _The Warden's face did not change. "Only time will tell if you've made the right choice." He started to walk away._

" _You already know if I have, don't you?"_

 _The Warden turned back. "Of course."_

John woke up. It was the middle of the night. He felt something in his hammock, and rolled out of it, thinking it could be a grenade or explosive. But it was just the cube the Warden had given to him. _How did it get there?_

He tried to open it, pressing different sides and symbols in different orders, but with no results. He would have tossed it away in frustration, but he couldn't will himself to do it. He put it in the backpack the locals had gave him, hoping to hide it from everyone. He would have to tell Halsey and the others.

But something screamed at him not to. The Warden was manipulating him. He could be leading them into a trap.

Now he understood the conundrum that the Warden placed him in.

But he was only a soldier. It wasn't his place to make such decisions.


	9. NINE: THE EMPRESS AND THE ELDER GOD

**NINE**

 **Location Unknown, Spherus Magna**

A shadowy figure walked towards a sphere half-buried in the ground. There used to be a swamp here, long destroyed by a cataclysmic event.

Of course, he remembered all of it. How everything had perfectly fit into place. How his greatest foes had proved to be his greatest minions. How he had swiftly eliminated his former brothers and sisters, who would have competed for power he had possessed, by bringing them here.

And one of his brothers had claimed something of Teridax's as his own. That was what the master of shadows was here to find.

He scanned the area, his eyes looking around. He knew what it was. The Kraahkan. The last piece.

But it was not here. But he felt the particles that had composed it lying around. He reached out to them, gathering them together and bringing them into one form. He placed it onto his face, feeling its power return to him. A pool of water was next to him- somehow, it was here- and the light was just enough to see his reflection.

There was a scar where he had wielded back his old armor with a Rahkshi of Heat Vision. The one-formidable plating was now pitted, scratched, and torn. His Staff's blades were dulled and broken.

But it was enough. He could repair it at a later date. It was much better than the old Maxilos frame he had used to escape this robot.

It was interesting how his brother had spread the lie that this was not the home of the Matoran, the Turaga, the Toa, the Skakdi, the Visorak… It appeared that he, too, was a liar, a deciever. Perhaps he believed it was for the best. But it did not matter.

Both of them were biding their time. Both of them were hiding from each other. But how dare Mata Nui welcome these invaders with open arms! How dare he protect them from his wrath!

That _did_ matter.

He looked back at the pool. He was complete. He no longer needed to worry about being uncovered by the world above. He had recovered a small reservoir of energized protodermis. He had built a small army of Rahkshi. He was regaining power.

But he still had no agents. Ahkmou had declined his offer, claiming to be out of the Dark. Nektan was imprisoned by the Magna Nui lawkeepers with the assistance of the Invaders.

Someone was watching him. He knew it.

There were a pair of red eyes in the shadow. He tried to reach out to it, to ask it who it was, and sent out a telepathic scan of the watcher's mind.

But he could not make sense of it. It wasn't like another race's mind, with the same primal feelings but different languages. This was incomprehensible. It was maddening. It wasn't that up was down and down was up. It was that down was blue and up was taste. Good was triangle and wrong was cold. He could not describe anything else. He retreated his mind, and felt exhausted.

And then the feeling went away, leaving him alone.

 **Thold, Infinity's Sword, Spherus Magna**

Rekon focused on driving the Quadwheel. "So once I get to forty bios-an-hour, that's when I try to keep my speed constant. That's what the limit says." He told Hervex. She had no formal instruction- her parents wouldn't be able to afford it, and all of her prize money had gone towards supporting her village of origin and herself- and she was being informally trained by him at her behest for basic life skills.

"There's different limits, right?" She asked.

"Right."

"Stop the Quadwheel. There's someone on the side of the road."

He pulled up to this traveler. He didn't recognize it as a local. It looked a lot like those pictures he saw of one of the offworlders' leaders. He would have thought it was just coincidence, but they had met Tuma, so he had decided that Fate had taken interest in them. He motioned for the traveler to hop in, and they did. Rekon took his commpad and started the translator app, typing in what phrase he thought would be translated to "destination?"

The traveler nodded, and wrote down something on a piece of paper. Rek scanned it with his camera, and it translated to "a port city across the sea".

 _Well, I guess that's where we were going, anyway._ Rekon thought. "Vex, keep an eye on him. I'd rather him not shoot us with a plasma gun or something."

"Got it." She was ready to grab a dagger and disarm the traveler if he made any moves, even before Rekon had told her.

 **Cheenoh-ee Teedah, Infinity's Sword, Spherus Magna**

The doctor continued with his diagnosis of Brasa 'Zolonaka, with Torak 'Vakon watching over the two. "There's no way you killed all of those Spartans." 'Vakon said.

"I was seeing how gullible you were." Said the other Sangheili as the doctor was checking the prosthetic arm's neural connection. "I did lose an arm to a Spartan and killed them with it, but that was just exaggeration. Lost my job as a Field Operative, now I'm a messenger."

"So, Sanghelios is gone?"

"Yep."

"How? Was it glassed by the Servants of the Abiding Truth?"

"Nope. Cortana's guardians destabilized the planet's core." He delivered the news in a matter-of-fact manner. "Entire planet's been destroyed. There would have been an asteroid field where it used to be, but considering it's been two million years, I don't exactly know what would have happened to it."

All four of 'Vakon's jaws dropped. "No…"

"Yeah. Also, I took a bit of brain damage that stopped me from being able to properly express emotion during that brawl with the demon."

"You know the human saying 'don't shoot the messenger'?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd love to ignore that and shoot you dead right now."

"Sorry." That was in the same tone.

 **Ga-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Thel 'Vadaam walked down a quiet alley. His Prophet's Bane was hidden under his cloak in case he needed it, but there was no one nearby. He exited on the other side, scanning for more threats. He knew there could be sleeper agents in the Swords of Sanghelios, waiting for him to reveal any weakness so they could slit his throat.

This frayed-cloth and dull-silver-colored heap in front of him was not one of them. Of course, the thing about sleeper agents is that you don't know who could be one of them, but this did not look like a Sangheili at all. It was either sleeping or dead. He took out his metal dagger, and poked it slightly.

It's orange eyes opened, and its mouth opened, revealing an unnervingly large amount of teeth. "Hello, wanderer." The thing moaned as it tried to get up, with screeching, rusted movements. "Alright, looks like I need help."

The Arbiter looked down, and extended a two-fingered hand. The thing grasped it with a rather weak strength. "Who are you?" Thel asked it.

"Vezon, Toa of Anarchy." The creature bowed the best as it could, holding out his hand. "Well, I'm not a Toa, evidently."

"How do you know my language?"

"I've seen a lot of things in my travels- not willingly, of course- across time, space, and several universes. What you up to?"

"I am going into exile to mourn my race's destruction." Thel told this 'Vezon'.

"Ouch."

"It hurts more than a simple wound."

"You think you're over-reacting? What's your name, anyway?"

"Thel 'Vadaam. Former Arbiter of the Swords of Sanghelios."

"Sounds important." Vezon said, trying to walk, but staggering, holding his chest.

"Are you alright?" Thel said, then noticed that behind the tattered robes was a gaping wound in Vezon's abdomen, where gears, wires, and other mechanical components could be seen visibly hanging out. "What happened to you?"

Vezon looked at him with a melancholic smile. "Lots of things."

"You need medical attention."

"They wouldn't give me it. Not after what I've done."

"Are you a criminal?"

"Some would go so far to say that I'm a villain." Vezon said. "I think I know someone who can help." Vezon said, picking up a staff or spear or something. "Come on, let's go."

"You make a move, and I'll stab you."

"Alrighty, now that you've vented- I know some people who could give you an anger management class, y'know- we should move."

Thel was conflicted. He didn't want to listen to this creature's blabbering, but he needed his help. "We don't have a vehicle."

"There's a UNSC Military base nearby. We can steal a what's-it-called. Puma? Chupa-thingy?"

"Warthog."

"Stop making up animals."

"But this plan of yours… were it so easy, it is still considered a crime against the _Infinity_. And I do not want to be a Criminal, for I have many enemies here."

"Eh."

"Are you mad?" Asked Thel.

"You just now figured it out, huh?" Said Vezon as he grabbed a pile of scrap and pressed it into the wound. "You have a welding torch?"

"No. And I do not think scrap will help you."

"I'm ancient, and my self-repair systems are kicking into gear."

"How ancient?"

"In a word? Very." Vezon started humming- no, it was a whistle- and a small, four-legged creature ran over to him. "Oh, hey, Fenrakk Junior. Who's a good little spider?" He patted it on the head as if it was a dog, then pointed to the scrap metal. It let out a stream of fire, wielding the metal shut. Vezon hoisted it onto his shoulder, where it remained perched, its legs clamping onto Vezon's body for stability.

"That is not a spider. It's number of legs are wrong."

"That's just a translation thing. Don't ask."

"Hmph. Let us find our transport."

 **Flora Nui, Spherus Magna**

A fishing vessel sailed along with the breeze. The winds had agreed with their trajectory, so they used the sail instead of a motor to save fuel. The Island that they were near was once inhabited, but destroyed by Visorak. A Toa team was sent here to fight them off, but never came back.

One crewman looked out onto the beach with his binoculars. Something crimson- it looked like an Ash Bear- was running from a horde of visorak. "Captain, we have contact. Visorak on the starboard side." He said into his communicator.

"You may open fire."

The crewman grabbed his rail crossbow, grabbing the weapon and aiming down the scope. He got a visorak in his sight, then fired. The shot tore a hole in the the spider, along with the others behind it. He loaded another shot and fired again. "Bring us closer, we'll take the Ash Bear with us."

"Why?"

"Because it's not an Ash Bear. It's a Hordika. A _Toa_ Hordika."

"And you want to bring it on board? Are you crazy?!"

"Maybe. Haven't checked with my psychologist yet."

"Fine. We better get paid well for this. Get the tranquilizer."

Thirosa looked behind him at his Visorak pursuers. They were shot and killed by a boat offshore. He knew the boat would try to shoot at him- after all, that's what all of the people who saw him did, as far as he knew.

He hid under the foliage, quivering with each shot and Visorak scream. He licked a his bleeding paw, then rubbed it in the dirt and brush, hoping that would stop it. It burned, so he just tried to ignore it and hope the blood would coagulate.

He tried to think of better times, but he had lost everything but the names. He knew he was born in Ta-Metru, was the apprentice of a Blacksmith, and met a Le-Matoran named Ultia. But that was all he knew, other than he was chosen to be a Toa and his team was sent here to fight off some Visorak all those years ago. He recalled seeing Gaika, his team's leader, die abruptly. Then just... pain as his bones and muscles and armor plating changed shape and broke and tore and reformed and fused into new things. He remembered that Floras killed Eteric and Frektir when they didn't give her the food she wanted because she couldn't hunt anymore without her back leg. Then she ate them and tried to kill him, but he had escaped. But those names and words meant nothing.

How long ago had that mission been? It was only a few months after their mutation, but… he didn't know how long ago their transformation had been. He never kept track, simply trying to survive. He remembered how his mind felt like it was _slipping_ and _falling_ apart until all that was left was fear and hunger. He was barely clinging on to what memories of his past life he had left.

Footsteps. Closer. Closer... Louder. Rusting.

He backed away, ready to pounce.

But he never got the opportunity. something hit him in the back, and he felt drowsy. He tumbled out of the bush, with several blue things looking at him. They lifted him onto some sort of boat, and his consciousness faded in and out as he felt the things wrapping him in some sort of rope. He knew they were going to kill them. He was their prey now, and they were bringing him back to their dens.

His eyes opened what felt like seconds later, but he was now on a boat, with something pinning down his paws, covering his muzzle, and holding down his body. He tried to move out of the restraints, fighting against them, but it wouldn't work. He tried to roar to scare the things away, but only a weak growl came out.

One of the things walked towards him, looking him in the eyes, staring him down. "Name."

Thirosa cocked his head.

"Your name. What is it?"

He tried to pronounce it, but it came out as several growls. "Theer.. Oh… sah."

"Kasi, run a search for that."

Another one of the things typed something in. "Okay, now we wait for thirty minutes for the search results to come in because I have Jogg as my provider."

The first one sighed. "You could just switch."

"Too expensive." After a short silence, he started to talk again. "Looks like there was a Toa team sent to Flora Nui to assist the locals with a Visorak problem."

"And we found the only survivor."

"Yep."

"Well, hopefully the Lawkeepers'll pay a hefty price for a Toa." The captain fired a tranquilizer at the Hordika, causing Thirosa's vision to blur and his eyelids to feel heavy.

 **Ga-Metru, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Ultia was looking for some fish to buy so she could cook herself dinner when some call came onto her portable terminal.

"Toa Ultia?" said the voice.

"That's me."

"This is Lawkeeper Joru. There's someone you need to see at Nokama Hospital. Room E4022."

"On my way there."

She entered that room several minutes later- thank the Great Spirit for her Kualsi- and saw some sort of creature restrained on a table. Several IVs were attached to it, and there were stitches from surgeries.

A Vahki with the Lawkeeper's emblem was looking at her. "Lawkeeper Joru. Good to meet you, toa."

"I didn't expect a Vahki."

"No one does. Our chief weapons are surprise, fear, and... well, never mind."

"And I see you have a sense of humor."

"Of course. It's essential for this job."

"So, who was I supposed to see?"

"Him," Joru said, pointing at the creature. "Some Ga-matoran fishers found him off the coast."

"What's his name?"

"Thirosa."

"Thirosa? As in-"

"The 'Thirosa' who was made a Toa twenty years ago and never returned? Yeah, that's him."

She walked up to her long-lost friend. "Hey. Everything's going to be alright. Trust me."

He looked at her with a certain amount of doubt and sadness in his eyes, as if he knew her face but couldn't remember who she was.

She dug out some candied fruit that was in her pocket and held it in front of him. He whimpered, bringing his head closer to his body. She reached out to comfort him, but he growled at her.

The bashful, humble Ta-Matoran she knew was gone, with this broken, paranoid hordika left in his place.

Joru gave her a small paper. "This was a transcript of a session between him and the local therapist."

"Thank you, Lawkeeper." She pocketed it(she'd read it later), and looked back at Thirosa. "Osa, I missed you so much."

He let out a small whimper of agreement.

"I counted the days that you were gone. Never stopped counting." She was choking up.

"Is… that… a… joke?" Thirosa asked her, struggling to pronounce the words.

"No. See?" She brought out her Pad, showing him the calendar and how many boxes were colored red.

"Then… why did… you not… res... cue… me?" Thirosa asked.

She tried to think of an answer. "I… I wanted to. I sent so many requests for a Flora Nui rescue mission to Spherus Prima's Military Division, but none were ever accepted.

"Liar!" He screamed, and she backed away in fear. "Liar! You... didn't care! Left… me… and my… friends to die!" He was in tears, struggling to escape from his restraints. "YOU LET... THEM TURN... ME INTO THIS!"

"I'm sorry…" She could barely hold her tears in.

A beam hit Thirosa, and he jolted in what seemed like pain and surprise, then became limp, his eyes shut.

"I'll increase his anesthetic dose." Joru said. "Sorry about that, Toa. I normally don't like using my Staff of Pacification, but I was afraid he'd break his restraints and maybe maul you to death- he may be malnutritioned, but he's still a hordika. I'm honestly surprised his mind's as intact as it is."

She nodded, and headed to the waiting room. When she sat down, she took out the transcript, reading it, hoping it would reveal something she would be able to use to help him. But she found out nothing but pain. She crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash. Tears suffocated her vision, and her mind was flooded with emotions. _Why didn't you rescue me?_ was the only thing that echoed through her mind.

She had failed her friend, and he had paid the price.

It was her fault.

It was _all_ her fault.

 **Location Unknown, Spherus Magna**

Makuta Teridax watched as the blue and orange figures conversed. How pathetic. They made it too easy to manipulate. They had no idea that his fingers had reached into their minds, controlling their every movement.

He had left a part of himself inside the galaxy during his brother's exploration that he was using as a proxy. That part of himself was now controlling this "Empress" and "Warden Eternal".

The feeling of being watched he experienced in the ruins of Karda Nui returned. He looked behind him, and saw two red eyes. "Reveal yourself!"

It seemed to respond to his command, forming a humanoid shadow. Its eyes were gone.

"Who are you?"

"I have been called many names. But I am existence. I am perseverance." It said.

"Stop speaking in riddles."

"Sop speaking in such infantile tongues."

He tried to cause it to dissipate, but to no avail. "How are you immune to my control? I am the master of shadows, Makuta Teridax!"

"I _am_ shadow." It said. "I serve no master."

"What is the purpose of your visit?"

"There is no purpose other than I was supposed to do this."

"Says who?"

The being didn't respond. "You may believe you have the Empress hooked on your strings, but your arrogance shall be your undoing, as it was millennia ago."

"I have taken steps to prevent that."

"Have you? Then why do you continue your childish infighting?"

"I was a god once. I will be again."

"There are beings in this universe that you cannot understand. There are creatures that betray the laws of reality because they choose to. There are horrors beyond your imagination. What will being a god do when you can do nothing?"

"And I take it you are one of those?"

"I was born on a world in the same manner that the entity that caused yours to split into three was born in. I was born in the same manner as your former creators, your former scientist-kings, were born in."

"Are you a Great Being?"

"No. But the ones you call 'Great' have been sleeping for centuries. You were part of a plan to heal your world, yet you, in your ambitions, did not realize it. What will their reaction be to the creature that ended their plan, Teridax?"

"Begone."

"I shall leave when I want to, Makuta. I am far beyond your ability to reason that looking into my mind would leave you a gibbering wreck. Your intellect, your plans upon plans, are nothing compared to me."

"Are you an ally of the Warden Eternal? Of the Invaders?"

"Yes. But also an enemy. That is my existence." It faded away. "But remember, Teridax," The voice boomed. "I am everywhere. I will be watching. And I will be waiting."

A Vorahk walked over to Teridax. "Father, the Invaders' settlement is becoming less and less vulnerable. It is only a matter of time before our attacks will be useless."

Teridax thought for a while. "Wake the Bohrok hives not under the thrall of the Queens. Take a small army of Rahkshi with you and assault their tumor."

"Yes, father."


	10. TEN: FACE THE TRUTH

**1.10: Face The Truth**

 **TEN**

 **Spherus Prima, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Lasky watched the Matoran hustled back and forth. Some looked at him, wary.

They were afraid of him. Or the four well-armed Spartan-IVs escorting him to his destination.

A translator walked up to him- he knew because of the stone tablet the Toa carried on their wrist. It was amazing how advanced yet primitive these indigenes could be. They never needed to invent certain technologies, as they already had some built into them.

"Captain Lisky, right?" The Toa asked.

"It's ' _Lasky_ '."

"I said it on purpose. The High Turaga want to see you."

Lasky nodded. "Why do they want to see me?"

"Didn't say. But you're the leader of the Offworlders."

"One of the leaders. Used to be more. Thel 'Vadam, the leader of the Sangheili, disappeared several days ago."

"I am sorry, Captain."

"Not your fault."

"I was expressing sympathy, Captain."

"Just call me 'Lasky'. I was a Captain of an UNSC ship, and the UNSC doesn't exist anymore."

"Yes, it does."

"No way it's survived two million years against the Forerunners."

"It has. It lies in here." The Toa tapped Lasky's chest, right where his heart was. "And in them." He pointed to the Spartans. "And in everyone you brought to our world."

"I'm here to talk with some 'High Turaga', not talk about spiritual bullshit." Lasky was getting angered at this Toa.

The Toa grabbed him by the shoulder. His Spartans raised their weapons. Several of the robots- Vahki, where they called?- raised their weapons, too. "You need to hear this."

"Why?" He asked, then motioned for the Spartans to lower their weapons.

The Toa towered over him. "Because there's an old Matan proverb: 'Total darkness may seem crushing and indomitable. But it takes only a single candle to push it away'. You are that candle, Lasky."

"Just take me to the damn Turaga."

"As you wish."

After a long walk,they entered a hall. The translator borought them to a small room, and activated some sort of hologram. Six Turaga appeared. The one in front bowed. "I am High Turaga Jaller. I take it you are Captain Lasky of the _Infinity_?"

"You're correct." Lasky said, putting his hands behind his back and standing straight.

"And you lead the settlement of the island to the Northeast, correct?"

"Yes. We're calling it 'Infinity's Sword' because of the name of our ship, the Swords of Sanghelios, and the fact it looks a bit like an Energy Sword if you squint and tilt your head."

"We want to discuss our relationship with your settlement, your ship, and your race."

 _Please don't kick us out._ "We have no place else to go, High Turaga. The only reason we were even able to settle was because some sort of golden being terraformed it for us."

"A golden being… terraformed it for you?"

Lasky expected laughing. "I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"Oh, no, it doesn't sound crazy at all." One of them said. "High Turaga Hahli, pleased to meet you."

Jaller nodded. "We are not surprised that a good friend gave you some assistance."

"And who would that be?" Lasky asked.

"The Great Spirit himself: Mata Nui."

"So, if he has god-like powers on this world, then why is there still so many systemic problems here? I've noticed that there's been quite a few handful of wars, plenty of racism, and even a religion that endorses xenophobia." Lasky said calmly. "And 'He works in mysterious ways' isn't an answer."

"Mata Nui is powerful, but he is… unable to do certain things without revealing his presence to dark forces. He also has limits and needs time to regain strength."

"That sounds like an excuse."

"You're really complaining about that real estate you've got." Another one said. "High Turaga Nuparu, at your service. Occasionally. WIth an asterix."

Lasky nodded. "We've burned too much time with this whole conversation. So, what do you want to talk about the settlement."

"There are other nations on Spherus Magna. Some of them do not like Offworlders." Jaller said.

"And?"

"In exchange for protection, we will take in a share of revenue from your port."

"Nobody will want our goods. We can't trade foods because they're incompatible with your biology, and our technology is in low demand." Lasky was trying to constrain his frustration.

"What about your 'Slipspace drive'?"

"We are _not_ sharing that technology. It's dangerous when unregulated. A single error can cause it to send out halves of a ship in two entirely different locations. I've seen it myself. A miscalculation on re-entry can cause you to warp into a supernova. It's not like dusting crops."

Jaller sighed, shaking his head. "Protection is expensive, Captain."

"Then tell us how to protect ourselves. We fought the Covenant with a technological disadvantage and _won_. We fought the goddamned _Didact_ of the Forerunners and _won_. We. Aren't. Children." He placed his hands on the sides of the holotable, leaning in and looking Jaller in the eye.

The High Turaga glared at him. After several seconds, the Turaga started to laugh and smile. "You and I are kindred spirits, Lasky. You remind me of when I was a Matoran. Captain of the Guard of Ta-Koro in the Old World." He nodded. "We will teach you."

 **Le-Koro, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

John entered the mess hall that had been set up for them and grabbed a ration. The rest of his team was sitting near a table, so he walked towards them. He sat down next to Kelly, and started to eat.

"John, you look worried." Kelly said. "Anything bothering you?"

"Talk with you later." He told her as he unwrapped his ration bar.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the hammock." Fred muttered.

John glared at him.

"I was joking, John."

"I know that." The leader of Blue Team said.

After they finished, John got up and motioned to Kelly. They went into a secluded area., and he turned to her.

"The Warden talked to me."

"Yeah, like three days ago."

"No, last night. In a.. dream of some kind."

"John, it was just a dream."

"Made too much sense to be a dream. Explain how I got this." He showed her the cube.

"John, that's a forerunner artifact."

"So either some schmuck hid it in my bed and my subconscious picked it up or-"

"Wait, did you say 'schmuck'?"

"Yes." He continued: "The Warden said that he knows where we are. That he's always known where Spherus Magna was. And he gave me this because he said it could help us."

"'Help us' what? Die?" Kelly said as she shook her head. "You're not telling me the entire story."

"He said that him and I aren't so different. I don't know what that means. He… told me I could either be a hero and abandon my family or be a nobody and stay with my team."

Kelly took a deep breath. "What did you choose?"

"I told him that if being a hero means I leave my family behind, then I don't want to be one."

"How did he react?"

"He said he knew if I made the right choice, and he wouldn't tell me if I did."

"Cryptic. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell Halse-"

There was some sort of humming sound in his hears, and he collapsed in pain. The Warden's face appeared in his vision. "What are you? A child, telling their mother about the nightmare you had?" The Warden said. "Are are you a soldier, One-One-Seven?" The Warden disappeared.

"-ohn! _John!_ " He heard Kelly's voice again. "Are you alright?"

"I'm… I'm fine."

 **Le-Koro Outskirts, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

"Spartan Locke!" Some robotic voice yelled towards Osiris' direction.

"That's me." Locke said, turning around. There was a Vahki with Buck slung over his shoulder.

"Found this son-of-a-Energy-Hound in a port in Bolkan. Your Captain Lasky told us to find him." The Vahki said as he tossed the Spartan-IV to the ground.

The ODST-turned-Spartan-IV groaned.

Locke looked at Buck, and Tanaka said exactly what was on Locke's mind. "How the _Hell_ did you get across an _ocean_?"

"Long story." He said as he got up and took off his helmet..

Locke shook his head. "What you did was irresponsible, stupid, and could have gotten you killed, Spartan. What do you have to say about that?"

"How 'bout 'sorry'?" Buck could tell something bad was going to happen. Locke's face was calm, but his eyes burned with an inner fire of rage.

Locke grabbed him by the throat, looking him in the eye. "We've already lost one human since we landed on this world. I don't want to lose another." He let go, and walked away.

"So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing major," Tanaka said. "Only that the Arbiter ran away and it's over two-million years since Cortana took over the galaxy."

Buck's cheery facade dropped. "Goddamnit!" He sat down, covering his face with his hands. _Everything's gone… Everything. Veronica's probably dead. Romeo, and Dutch, too._ He tried to get himself together. _Come on, Ed, look on the bright side. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or whatever the hell they drink on this planet._

 **Three Months Later…**

 **New Harvest, Infinity's Sword, Spherus Magna**

"Hey, Blue, we got something on the horizon." Lance Corporal Sarah O'Connell told her CO.

"What is it?" Sergeant Rico Blue asked.

"Looks like those Nurok things, but different."

"And what else?"

"Some… Oh, shit, we've got romeos. Old-schools." She used the nickname for Rahkshi.

"Roger." He activated his communicator. "November-Hotel Command, this is Magnus One-Actual. We have romeos and bravos inbound."

"Understood, Magnus One-Actual. Sending an intercept squad." New Harvest Command said.

Three Warthogs speed across the field, flanking the hostile Matans. These vehicles were equipped with engines that made over ninety-percent less noise and over thirty-percent more speed. The miniguns were exchanged for Gauss Cannons. The passengers had Railguns. All of these weapons were tailored for puncturing the Matan's armor and needing very little sustained fire to do damage. It was all hit-and-run.

"We are three kay-emm away… two-point-five…" The lead driver counted down. At one kilometer, they would fire, then run away. The intercept squad was never meant to destroy an army- just whittle down the numbers while the defenses were prepared.

"Formation Bravo. Split off in three… two… one." Hog One said.

"Splitting." Hogs Two and Three moved into diagonal trajectories.

"Attack now."

The Panrahk leading the charge did not expect the Invaders to do anything but wait. After all, they wouldn't dare engage in a fair fight.

But then a formerly-bohrok pile of scrap flew past it and hit several of its brethren. One of the Invader's vehicles blew past, ramming the remainder.

That was unexpected. But not uncounterable. The Panrahk sent a wave of fragmentation energy outward, sending the vehicle flying. It switching to its flight mode and tried to keep moving. Staying still was suicide.

A turahk sent out a cone of paralyzing fear towards the Invader's vehicles as a Heat Vision Rahkshi blasted them. Unbeknownst to the poor creature, the vehicles had reflective plating, meaning that the heat beam was bounced back at it.

The Gauss Cannons fired twice, and the passengers fired their railguns at the two Rahkshi.

The Panrahk landed, about to fragment the vehicle, but saw something arcing from the Invader's base. It landed in a squad of Rahkshi, killing them in an explosion. It felt an arc of electricity fry its systems, and it fell over. Its body was sent flying by a blast of sonic energy, landing next to a silver-and-blue Bohrok.

A Gahlok-Kal. The Bohrok-Kal crushed the Rahkshi, and tossed its remains at a Guurahk. It sent a telepathic message to the Offworlders: _The Bahrag Queens sent us to assist you in your defense. These Bohrok have been stolen by a dark force and robbed of their Krana. They are no longer our own._

The driver of the first warthog had recovered from the little trip the Panrahk had sent it on. "November-Hotel Command, this is Hog One. We have backup. Looks like some silver Bohrok or something."

"Roger that."

"Wait, we've got rumbling."

A Tahtorak bursted out of the ground, with an infected Kanohi controlling it. The only thing that could be heard coming out from its mouth was not a roar, or a moan, but a " **WHY?!** "

"Ah, Hell. It's godzilla with an existential crisis."

"The Kal can take care of the Tahtorak. Scorpions and Wraiths are firing salvo one." New Harvest Command said.

The Kal seemed to turn into orbs and meld into two different, larger Bohrok. They fought the Tahtorak, trying to wound it and remove the Kanohi, but not kill it.

The rest of the swarm was easily dispatched by the hit-and-running Warthogs and the barrages of canonfire and plasma mortars.

Teridax watched this battle happen from his lair. The Invaders were much stronger than he had thought. No matter. It would only be a matter of time. His machinations on other worlds were more important than this.

 **Three days later...**

 **Spherus Prima, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Lasky watched Turaga Jaller walk towards him. "Turaga."

"Captain Lasky. In the light of your victory at New Harvest, the other members of the Council and I were wondering if we could hold a celebration in its honor."

"Trust me, you do not want to miss a Matan celebration." One of the Agori senators said through a translator.

"I hope it could be a way for you and many of the other offworlders to experience our culture." Jaller held up his fist. Lasky didn't know what he was supposed to do, and the Turaga's eyes narrowed. "You're supposed to bump fists, bonehead."

"Sorry."

"How is your race adjusting to life here?"

"The best we can do when we're in the far future with no way to go back home."

Jaller nodded. "Then I hope the celebration will help them forget."

"Thank you, High Turaga."

Jaller noticed Lasky never made eye contact. "Is something bothering you?"

"Spartan-117 told me a while back that the Warden Eternal knows where your world is and that he always has. He could attack at any time now."

"Perhaps this 'warden' wants to use paranoia to control you."

Lasky didn't respond, only looking at the window that overlooked Infinity's Sword.

 **Ta-Metru, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Thirosa continued staying at Grava's hospital bed. Her leg was in a cast and there were several IVs hooked up to kill the pain and sedate her while the doctors had worked on her, fixing bones and muscle and motors and wiring and nerves.

Her eyes opened. "You're still here, huh?" Her speech was slurred and slow.

"Yeah. I was afraid they'd do something to you."

Joru entered the room with something in his hands. "Hate to break the mood, but, Grava, I need to know if you have any relatives who can help pay your medical bill. The Lawkeepers can pay a portion of it, but we can't pay the entirety."

"No." She said. "Don't have any relatives."

"Well, you should be alright to go in a day. We'll do a PdNA check and see if there's any matches." The Vahki motioned for Thirosa to get up, and the Toa Hordika did, albeit reluctantly.

 **One Day Later…**

Thirosa walked out the hospital with Grava at his side. The Matoran Hordika they'd recovered was walking oddly because of her cast, but she was managing.

Several of the Offworlder "marines" were watching and talking amongst themselves. Joru walked over to them and started talking, and both the Vahki and the marines were laughing and joking. He led them towards the Hordika, and Thirosa backed away, ready to strike these Offworlders if they made a move. Joru shook his head. "They're friendly, Osa. This is Fireteam Magnus-two. They're one of the units deployed here from Infinity's Sword."

"Then why are they watching us?"

"It's not because they're afraid of you. They want to give something to you." He turned to the marines, and seemed to give them the go-ahead. They placed a collar onto both Thirosa's and Grava's heads. It was made with olive-green leather or something and had a bird-like creature on a small metal piece attached to it. "They said that since you're Toa Ultia's friend, they're also indebted to you."

Grava was confused. "Thanks?"

"Apparently, if you need something, you can just ask them."

"We could use a ride to Spherus Prima." Thrisoa said. "Heard there's a celebration about to go on there."

"I LOVE CELEBRATIONS!" Grava said, running around in circles excitedly.

"Don't run too fast. I don't want you breaking your leg again, cub."

She stopped, then stuck out her tongue and blew Madu seeds at him. "Buzzkill."

 **Spherus Prima, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna**

Sergeant Rico Blue entered the room that the festivities were being held in. There was a small table that the Vahki guard next to him motioned him to.

"It's your assigned seat. You're a hero to a lot of these people." The Vahki said. Rico only knew the Vahki was female because she had said it herself. All of the automatons had similar voices- mechanical, cold, yet commanding and calming.

"I'm not a hero. Just a marine."

"Even to a lot of Matans and Magnans, you're a hero. You helped defeat a dark force."

"Lance Corporal O'Connell was the one who spotted the hostiles."

"And you were the one who told your commanders about it."

"That was my job. I shouldn't get commended for it."

"The both of you did grab a M6 G/GNR and hit a few Bohrok with it. I'd say that's rather heroic."

"Thank you, Glan."

"No problem."

He sat down. There was a red-colored Turaga wearing some sort of mask. He turned to O'Connel. "Who is that?"

"High Turaga Jaller."

"And he's not guarded? That's a pretty ballsy move."

One of the Matoran shushed him. The Turaga was beginning to talk.

A Toa was at the High Turaga's side, with a Mask of Translation. The Turaga spoke, and he translated. "Greetings, everyone. We are here to celebrate the fruits of a joint training program between Magna Nui and Infinity's Sword, and the Humans' defeat of their attackers at New Harvest."

After those words, everyone cheered. Rico didn't. War was war. It wasn't something to celebrate.

The Turaga continued, making beeping and clicking sounds. The Toa translated. "But before we celebrate the heroics and bravery of the Humans, we must acknowledge the bravery and courage of our own."

 _Of course. They'll say something about how this was all their work,_ Rico thought.

"Matorans Bora, Itshe, Gija, and Nori, please come here. Toa Ultia and Thirosa, please come up here, too." After they were all assembled, the Matoran were handed some sort of stones glowing with inner power by Jaller. The looks on all of the Matans' faces was that of awe. "Bora, for your discovery of the UNSC _Infinity_ , we would have never been able to bring these refugees and newfound friends onto our world. Your defense of Ko-Metru against the vile Skakdi also deserves praise, too. Itshe, for your attempts at saving the life of the Human Corporal Miles during the Battle of Le-Koro, you have been given this great honor. For Gija, leading your fellow engineers to safety when you were taken hostage by terrorists shows your courage. And for Nori, your assistance during the Siege of Bolkan shows your bravery and indomitable spirit. Ultia, thank you for assisting the Humans in the Battle of Le-Koro. And for Thirosa, thank you for hunting down the Visorak swarms." Something rose from behind Jaller. It was a half-sphere, with six slots spread around it. "Approach the Suva, if you so want to."

"Suva?" Rico asked O'Connell.

"I have no idea what that is and- OH MY GODS!" As the two talked, they had missed the Matoran placing the stones in the "Suva", only seeing that there were four beams of energy hitting the Matoran, pushing them onto the ground and surrounding them with light. When the spectacle was over, there were four Toa standing where the Matoran used to be. Itshe's knife had become a sword of some sort, Bora's wrist-mounted mineral scanner was some sort of beam weapon, Gija's whip was now arcing with energy, and Nori's staff was a polearm.

The Matans cheered, and Jaller continued speaking. "In honor of our new friends, a new Toa team has been created: The Toa Infinitus."

"Aww, they named them after our ship." O'Connell smiled.

"We will celebrate this new age, and when that is over, the Humans will hear the Legend of Mata Nui." Jaller exited, with cheering in his wake.

John watched the entire thing. He turned to Lasky. "Did you know of this?"

"Yep. I suggested the name. They might be ambassadors." Lasky smiled. "Part of my deal with Jaller."

After what felt like a half-hour of eating and talking, Jaller returned. He pressed a button and a hologram of some sort of picture appeared, showing two c-shaped structures, a large sphere between them, and two smaller circles next to it. He began to talk.

" _Gathered friends, let us listen to the Legend of the Spherus Magna, the Great Beings, our Great Spirit Mata Nui, and his evil brother, Makuta."_

" _In the Time Before Time, the Great Beings blessed Spherus Magna with indescribable wonders. Glatorian and Agori, in the Tribes of Iron, Rock, Sand, Fire, Jungle, Water, Ice, and Earth, lived together in harmony."_

" _But the Great Beings wanted to focus more on experiments. They appointed six Element Lords to watch over the realms of Rock, Sand, Fire, Jungle, Water, and Ice."_

" _The Great Beings discovered a substance that would change everything: Energized Protodermis. It empowered those destined to be empowered and destroyed those destined to be destroyed."_

" _The Element Lord of Ice found some of this substance in the border between Ice and Fire, and the Element Lord of Fire wanted it for himself."_

" _The Glatorian of each realm were organized into armies by their Elemental Lords, and a war over this substance broke out."_

" _The World was shattered by this conflict into three: Bara Magna, a planet of desert; Aqua Magna, a planet of water; and Bota Magna, a planet of jungle."_

" _The Great Beings created a plan to reunite Spherus Magna, and created Mata Nui, our Great Spirit, as the first stage of this quest."_

Jaller took a breath and the lighting changed. It turned to a picture of two masks- one yellow, one black- next to each other.

" _Mata Nui was given a world of his own, away from the Shattered worlds. The Great Beings sent him off until the time was right."_

" _Fearing for Mata Nui's safety, they created six Guardians; the first Toa team."_

" _There was Tahu, courageous Toa of Fire; Lewa, agile toa of Air; Kopaka powerful Toa of Ice; Gali, noble Toa of Water; Onua, wise Toa of Earth; and Pohatu, mighty Toa of Stone."_

" _These Guardians were placed into stasis, to wait until they were needed. When Mata Nui's life was in danger, they would be there."_

" _Mata Nui was given many races: the Matoran to worship him and dedicate their work for him; The Toa to protect them; and the Turaga to guide them with wisdom. He blessed them the Three Virtues of Unity, Duty, and Destiny."_

" _The Great Beings gave Mata Nui a brother, Makuta, who would populate the world with creatures and protect the ones below the siblings."_

" _But Makuta was jealous of Mata Nui, and hatched an evil plan. He would cast Mata Nui into an Eternal sleep, and take over the his brother's world."_

" _In Metru Nui, Lhikan, a Toa of Fire, sensed something was wrong, and put his power into six Toa Stones, giving them to six matoran: Vakama, Nokama, Matau, Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua."_

" _The Matoran were transformed into Toa, and their duty was revealed: To prevent Makuta's plan from being completed, and protect Metru Nui. They found six Great Discs, and forged them into the Kanohi Vahi, a powerful Mask of Time."_

" _They were ready to fight against the evil Makuta and his forces of Darkness. But it was too late- Makuta had masqueraded as Metru Nui's Turaga, and tricked the Matoran into stopping their work and worship, putting Mata Nui into what was assured to be an eternal sleep."_

The lighting changed to a sickly green. A ruined city appeared.

" _The Toa Metru, as these heroes would come to be known, had no other choice but to bring the Matoran away from Metru Nui, away from the Shadow of Makuta. But Makuta tracked them down, and fought them."_

" _Uniting their powers together, the Toa Metru sealed Makuta's physical form away, but at a great cost. Lhikan, now a Turaga, sacrificed himself to buy time for Vakama to use the Vahi to stop Makuta."_

" _But they could not carry all of the Matoran with them to the Island they discovered beyond the Great Barrier. They had to return to Metru Nui."_

" _But there, they faced new enemies. Makuta had called the Visorak Horde, lead by Sidorak and Roodaka, to do his evil biddings."_

" _Falling into the Horde's trap, the Toa Metru were mutated into nightmarish versions of themselves: Half-beast, half-Toa creatures. Time was running out until the transformation was complete."_

" _They were helped by the Rahaga, former Toa and victims of Roodaka's mutations, who gave hope to be rid of their burden: the mysterious Keetongu, a wise creature that could cure Visorak venom. But Vakama, angered at his transformation and controlled by instincts, betrayed his brothers and sister, siding with the Visorak."_

" _The Toa, along with the Rahaga and Keetongu, battled the Hordes. Matau dueled Vakama, attempting to turn him back to the Light, and succeeded at the last minute."_

" _Reunited and cured, the Toa Metru brought back all the remaining Matoran to the island, which they called 'Mata Nui' in honor of the Great Spirit. With their Destiny fulfilled, they sacrificed their powers, becoming Turaga."_

" _Mata Nui was asleep, but Makuta was imprisoned, unable to do anything to advance his plan. The Toa had won- or so they thought…"_

The picture switched to six Toa-like figures standing next to each other.

" _The Matoran lived in happiness, but they had forgotten their old lives and old ways. The Turaga had not."_

" _They knew of an ancient legend of six Guardians, and hid away six stones for safekeeping. These stones were not ordinary stones, nor were they Toa stones- they were stones that, when united, would summon these Guardians, who would awaken Mata Nui and defeat Makuta, once and for all."_

" _But Makuta knew of these Guardians, too. He feared what they could do, and sent Rahi, controlled by Infected Masks, to stop the Matoran from summoning the Guardians."_

" _But a Chronicler named Takua summoned the Guardians, who defeated the Rahi and found their Golden Masks. Equipped with their newfound powers, the Toa headed into Makuta's lair, defeating him."_

" _But Makuta had other plans. What the Toa believed was their victory was, in truth, his."_

" _He woke the Bahrag and their Bohrok swarms to buy time until the time was right. The Toa fought the Swarm Queens, and fell into vats of Energized Protodermis, gaining new powers, armor, and weapons, and a new name: The Toa Nuva."_

" _The Bahrag sent out the Bohrok-Kal to free them, but the Toa Nuva stopped the Bahrag's plan. Peace came onto the Island, but it would not last."_

" _The Kanohi Avohkii, the Mask of Light, was uncovered, with the prophecy of the Seventh Toa revealed. Makuta sent out his sons, the Rahkshi, to find its Herald and destroy them."_

" _Takua wore the Avohkii, transforming into Takanuva, the Toa of Light. He faced down Makuta, and defeated him."_

" _Makuta's defeat revealed Metru Nui, and the Matoran returned to their home. The Turaga revealed something that they had felt for a long time, but did not believe until now: Mata Nui was not merely asleep, but dying."_

The lighting switched to gray, and a mask appeared on the screen, with an outline of a robot as a visor.

" _The Turaga sent out the Toa Nuva to where the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life, could be found. This Mask could revive the Great Spirit, but without it, everything would be doomed."_

" _Six Matoran ventured to find their lost heroes: Jaller, Hahli, Nuparu, Kongu, Hewkii, and Matoro. On their journey, they lost their masks, their weapons, and almost fell into the clutches of the demented Kharzani."_

" _They were looking for heroes, but little did they know that they simply needed to look inside themselves. Heroes are not simply born, my friends, they are created from actions, starlight, and hope."_

" _They arrived in Voya Nui in canisters, and were struck by lightning from the Red Star, with divine energy surging through them. They were now Toa- The Toa Ignika."_

" _Makuta's machinations had brought the Piraka- six murderous Skakdi- to Voya Nui, using his essence to enslave the Matoran here. But one of the Piraka's own, a demented half-creature called 'Vezon', who found the Kanohi Ignika and was turned into a guardian for the Mask, lay waiting."_

" _Through many trials and sacrifices, the Toa Ignika freed the Matoran and defeated the Mask of Life's guardians, but the Mask fled into the sea below. The Toa pursued it, heading into the cord that linked Voya Nui to the rest of Mata Nui's world."_

" _But they were defeated, and were swallowed by the deep. The Mask of Life, with its amazing powers, changed them into new forms to search for the Kanohi Ignika and fight new foes."_

" _They faced the terrible Barraki, Warlords who had attempted to dethrone Mata Nui long ago, now mutated into terrifying forms: Pridak, the leader, the Shark, whose blade, teeth, and speed could shred even the bravest Toa; Kalmah, the breeder, the Squid, whose created the weapons the Barraki used; Carapar, the brute, the Crab, whose durability and strength were unmatched; Tadadox, the cunning, the Mantis, whose hypnotic vision could turn friend against friend; Mantax, the lurker, the Sting Ray, whose stealth tactics and paralyzing spines could kill an unwary prey; and Ehlek, the enraged, the Eel, whose powers over electricity and bitter determination made no one safe from his anger. With Mata Nui's life on the line, the Toa would stop at nothing."_

" _But they were too late- Mata Nui was dead. The Toa, outnumbered and outgunned, had no choice but to attempt to hold the line as Matoro prepared to use the Kanohi Ignika, which would drain his life force, transferring it to the Great Spirit."_

" _In his final moments, Matoro used the Ignika to teleport his friends to Metru Nui, saving them from destruction. The Matoran of Voya Nui were safe, brought into shelters as their island was reunited with the rest of the Universe, and Mata Nui was alive, though asleep- but our tale does not end here._

The picture now showed a swamp, with some sort of silver bulge showing through.

" _The Toa Nuva, now with new armor and weapons given to them by the master craftsman Artakha, were on the last step of their Destiny set so long ago: Wake the Great Spirit, and save him from the clutches of the Dark. Makuta's brethren were here to stop them."_

" _The Toa Nuva split into two teams: Phantoka, consisting of Lewa, Pohatu, and Kopaka, and Mistika, consisting of Tahu, Onua, and Gali. They hoped to find the Keystones that would allow them to awaken Mata Nui."_

" _But the Matoran here were no ordinary Matoran- they were Matoran of Light. Thought to not exist, they had been hidden from the rest of the Universe until now."_

" _The Toa discovered that they could link up with these Matoran of Light to gain new powers that would help them defeat the Makuta, once and for all."_

" _When they arrived in Karda Nui, the Toa Nuva began to remember their past lives. They would need all their training, all their skill, to defeat Makuta."_

" _Allies new and old joined the fight, with Takanuva- now half-Shadow, half-Light- assisting the Mistika and the Kanohi Ignika- inspired by Matoro's courage and now wanting to be a Toa itself- assisting the Phantoka."_

" _If the Toa's courage and bravery was not stifled by the darkest waters, or terrifying Rahi, or murdering thieves, or manipulating shadows, then it would not be stopped now. They had the Keystones, and had found the device needed to awaken Mata Nui: The Codrex."_

" _The Ignika activated the Codrex, waking Mata Nui. But as the Toa celebrated their victory, Makuta dethroned Mata Nui while the Great Spirit woke up, and exiled him through the Kanohi Ignika into the world below."_

It switched to a desert, with yellow lighting.

" _Mata Nui awoke on Bara Magna after the Ignika created a new body for him, modeled after the locals. Mata Nui befriended a small Scarabax beetle named Click, who could become his shield."_

" _In the Matoran Universe, the forces of the Light fought against Makuta."_

" _Mata Nui encountered new allies and enemies, fighting the Skrall who wanted to conquer Bara Magna."_

" _Makuta sent his forces to Bara Magna to stop Mata Nui. But when he found that the Great Spirit had discovered a way to fight against Makuta in his god-form, Makuta came to Bara Magna to destroy his brother."_

" _But Mata Nui's goal was not to defeat Makuta. It was to undo the Shattering- a purpose he was given long ago."_

" _In the battle that ensued, Mata Nui attempted to buy time as he reunited Bota, Bara, and Aqua Magna. Tahu and Takanuva found the Golden Armor and used it to defeat the forces of Makuta."_

" _Makuta was killed during the reuniting of Spherus Magna. Victorious but drained, Mata Nui used the last of his power to heal the damaged world."_

There was a picture of the same landscape, now teeming with life. The lighting was now a pale blue.

" _With Makuta defeated, and Spherus Magna reunited, the Matans left Mata Nui's world, as the Great Spirit did not have the power to keep it stable. Mata Nui wished the Matans and Magnans peace and stability, and retreated to regain his strength, always watching over the world."_

After the story was over, everyone went back to celebrations. Jaller motioned to Lasky to follow him. They walked through a long, long hallway.

"You're a good storyteller." Lasky said. "How many times have you told it?"

"Many. Too many to count." Jaller replied.

"There was something familiar about those Toa mentioned during it."

"Which ones?"

"The Toa Ignika. They all had names similar to yours."

"'Jaller' is a very common name."

"No, it's not. Roland ran a check during your tale."

"Well, you got me."

"You watched as one of your friends sacrificed their lives to save your world."

Jaller was silent for a very long time. "Yes. Matoro was a great friend, and a hero- though he never thought of himself as that."

Jaller pressed a stone panel. A door slid open, then closed behind them. There was a small holotable in the middle of it, which activated a showed a ship. "Captain Lasky, what you are seeing is something you cannot tell others without my authorization."

"What's the ship?" Asked Lasky, crossing his arms.

"It is a… 'generation ship', in your terms. We sent it to colonize other worlds. We lost contact so long ago."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want your ship, your crew to find it. Divided, we cannot possibly stand a chance against the full might of the Created. United, however…"

"What was it called?"

"An Old Agori word for 'Voyage'. _Okoto_."

 **-End Part I: Contact-**


End file.
